In part III of this three-part report on the video game industry’s need to address inclusivity in the industry, the research team makes specific recommendations that will move the industry to a more diverse, equitable and profitable future.
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: Building Advocacy through Development
There are numerous causes to support in today’s political climate. While topics like gun control and the environment dominate news feeds and airtime, advocating for the arts is just as necessary, particularly in a world where importance of the arts is often overlooked. Peer-to-peer fundraising is a way for arts organizations to both build advocacy and raise money.
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There is an emerging opportunity for collaboration in the cultural heritage sector, as archeologists around the globe call for new methodologies to process mass-information about cultural heritage sites. This article unpacks how satellite imagery and geographical information systems are shifting the structure of the cultural heritage sector.
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Data + Tech for Arts Advocacy
Technology in Arts Advocacy
Fellow TITA bloggers Corwin, David, and I attended Arts Advocacy Day yesterday in Washington, D.C. Americans for the Arts hosts this event every year. Over 500 arts professionals attended this year to learn about the issues and then lobby their Congresspeople. I thought I was a pretty good arts advocate. I always took the time to explain to people about the arts and how they change people's lives and enrich communities. But what struck me is how much I could have been doing this whole time that I hadn't been doing.
I assumed that you had to know ALL the facts, ALL the budget numbers, ALL the studies on the arts to be an effective advocate--or an advocate at all. But you don't. Facts help. Personal stories are even better. Simply taking action at all is the most important part, though.
Just because today is the day after Arts Advocacy Day doesn't mean it's too late to make an impact. (This is an excuse I'm ashamed to say I've used before.) There are going to be 364 more days after Arts Advocacy. While a designated day helps us focus everyone's efforts, our organizations, our funders, our artists and the cultural welfare of our nation need our voices continuously.
At its heart, this blog is about the ways that arts professionals and artists can use technology to create the future of art and culture. This may be as complex as building robots that make music. But it could also be as simple as one of the three ideas below.
Three simple ways you can speak for the arts today:
1. EASY: Write one paragraph about why the arts matter to you. Add a sentence encouraging an increase in NEA funding to $180 million this year. (more info here) Send it to your Congresspeople. (email form)
2. EASIER: Tweet a condensed version and tag with #arts. This was a trending topic yesterday and the tag is still pretty hot.
3. EASIEST: Join the Arts Action Fund (sponsored by Americans for the Arts). Click here, enter some info. It's free.
Wasn't that easier than building a music-making robot?