| By Art Works, 202 contributed posts About the author: Art Works is the official blog of the National Endowment for the Arts  February 21, 2012 By Rebecca Gross The full cast of The Laramie Project. Directed by Kirsten Brandt, set design by Dennis Jones, and lighting design Joanna Hobbs. Photo courtesy of Sierra Repertory Theatre, Rich Miller Photography In many ways, the Sierra Repertory Theatre boasts that type of dream big, work hard, all-American story that we [...] Continue reading Spotlight on Sierra Rep By soar, 527 contributed posts About the author: SOAR: The Southern Oregon Artist's Resource is a directory of Southern Oregon artists, artisans and those who serve them and calendar of their art events, and Art Matters!, our blog posting Southern Oregon art events and matters of interest to artists and patrons of the arts near and far. SOAR was created and is maintained by art advocate and web designer Hannah West in Jacksonville, Oregon to promote our diverse and talented arts community to our visitors and the rest of the world.  “By boosting specific funding for [National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)] programmatic grants by $6.75 million,” Arts Action Fund President & CEO Robert Lynch was quoted in the L.A. Times stating, “The White House is sending a clear message that it understands the importance of the creative sector to our communities and the economy.” Continue reading Update from the Americans for the Arts Action Fund By soar, 527 contributed posts About the author: SOAR: The Southern Oregon Artist's Resource is a directory of Southern Oregon artists, artisans and those who serve them and calendar of their art events, and Art Matters!, our blog posting Southern Oregon art events and matters of interest to artists and patrons of the arts near and far. SOAR was created and is maintained by art advocate and web designer Hannah West in Jacksonville, Oregon to promote our diverse and talented arts community to our visitors and the rest of the world.  From the Editor: I joined this cause because publishing many articles over the past two years has opened my eyes to how important the arts are in conjunction with a well-rounded education. Children whose early education includes the arts experience greater development in their brains, are better at creative problem solving and any kind of collaborative effort, are more likely to attend classes regularly, get better grades, are more likely to complete higher education, are more likely to be hired when they enter the workforce and are more creative, innovative and proficient in whichever field they choose to pursue. Despite budgetary constraints, I firmly believe that stripping arts education from the curriculum in public schools is a huge step backward for our children and the future of our country. I hope you’ll join us! Cause: Keep the Arts in Public Schools 1,231,917 MEMBERS (Follow the link to read Continue reading Help Keep the Arts in Public Schools | Keep the Arts in Public Schools | causes.com By Art Works, 202 contributed posts About the author: Art Works is the official blog of the National Endowment for the Arts  February 17, 2012 By Rebecca Gross Vintage Postcard Washington’s Birthday, H.B. Griggs. Image courtesy of flickr user riptheskull Did you know that the White House is considered a living museum? Roughly 50,000 objects are part of the permanent collection, which includes everything from paintings and sculpture to silverware and furnishings. Did you know that the [...] Continue reading Did You Know…? (Presidents’ Day Edition) By Art Works, 202 contributed posts About the author: Art Works is the official blog of the National Endowment for the Arts  February 16, 2012 By Josephine Reed Poet/author Rita Dove with President Barack Obama at the National Medal of the Arts ceremony on February 13, 2012. Photo by Anthony Brown, Imigination Photography This week’s podcast puts the spotlight on 2011 National Medal of Arts recipient Rita Dove. Dove has had a remarkable career as a poet, [...] Continue reading Art Works Podcast with Rita Dove By Justin Knabb, 4 contributed posts About the author: Justin Knabb writes for ARTSblog, published by Americans for the Arts. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2010, Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. View all syndicated posts from Americans for the Arts blogs under the "Art World News" tab in the top menu. While state legislative sessions are just getting underway in the new year, perpetual campaigning for the election is no doubt leaving everyone already feeling cranky and cynical (or is that just me?). But take heart, advocates! Despite the cornucopia of GOP candidate positions on public arts funding—ranging anywhere from mild tolerance to total abhorrence-President Obama [...] Continue reading State Arts Funding: Good News! There Isn’t That Much Bad News By Art Works, 202 contributed posts About the author: Art Works is the official blog of the National Endowment for the Arts  February 15, 2012 by Rocco Landesman Thanks to some camera work by my wife Debby, I was able to get a photo with Mel Tillis, one of my musical heroes! Photo by Debby Landesman Earlier this week we honored the eight recipients of the 2011 National Medal of the Arts (and the nine National Humanities [...] Continue reading Postcard from the National Medal of Arts Ceremony By Americans for the Arts News, 93 contributed posts About the author: Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2010, Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts.  Americans for the Arts is excited to announce a new opportunity for board members and executive directors—a day-long training on leadership called the Executive Director and Board Member Symposium. This one-day program is for … Continue reading Register for Our New Executive Director & Board Member Symposium By Americans for the Arts News, 93 contributed posts About the author: Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2010, Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Americans for the Arts is excited to announce a new opportunity for board members and executive directors—a day-long training on leadership called the Executive Director and Board Member Symposium. This one-day program is for … Continue reading Register for Our New Executive Director & Board Member Symposium By Art Works, 202 contributed posts About the author: Art Works is the official blog of the National Endowment for the Arts February 14, 2012 By Rebecca Gross Walter Dean Myers. Photo courtesy of the author “Reading is not optional.” —Walter Dean Myers When Walter Dean Myers was a teenager, he was so embarrassed by his love of reading that he carried his library books hidden in a paper bag. In a January interview with the New [...] Continue reading Art Talk with Walter Dean Myers | DISCLOSURE: SOAR/Art Matters! has affiliate relationships with the providers of great products and services below. Purchases made through our links give us a small commission. This helps to defray the cost of promoting Southern Oregon Artists through our sites, so please use our links!  NOW - Monday 2/20 - Save 40% Off Your Highest Priced Item AND Get FREE Shipping with Coupon code VDAY40! Utrecht's Special Discounts have been updated for 2012 though the graphics remain the same. Use the link above to save 40% off your highest priced item (Use coupon code AP1), the one below to get 15% off any order of $100 or more AND Free Shipping! (Use coupon code AP3)    Ashland artist Pegi Smith sells her art on Yessy.com - View her Yessy gallery here Make a beautiful art book yourself with Blurb's online service. Artists Danna Tartaglia and Olivia Schemanski both self-published books featuring their art using Blurb.  ImageKind, a Cafepress company, now has an artist shop site you can join for free to sell your art online. Join the Imagekind community and start selling your art today CafePress lets you design a huge variety of products with your own art and sell them for a profit! A great way to gain more exposure for your work and make a few extra bucks. Janet London of London Hummingbird Arts and Hannah West, the founder of SOAR and Art Matters!, use CafePress to sell products with their own designs.  |