arts

Covid created new opportunities, lasting change in arts and culture (Guest Opinion by Travis Newton)

By Alice G. Collins 8 hours ago

Travis Newton is associate professor and director of Arts Administration at Le Moyne College, in Syracuse.

Covid-19 has altered our landscape forever, with deaths recently topping 600,000 in the United States. Millions have been sickened, lives have been upended, and the virus has expanded societal gaps that were too large to begin with. Whether instigated by Covid-19, the shifting priorities of funders or their own recognition of the need to address inequities, arts leaders are listening to their communities. Many recognize that it’s no longer enough for arts organizations to be good — they must also do good.

At a time when the world needed an escape more than ever, and consumed a record amount of arts and entertainment content, the not-for-profit arts and culture industry has suffered. Americans for the Arts estimates that not-for-profit arts and culture organizations have lost $17.5 billion to date, with another $17.2 billion lost

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ARTS AND CULTURE: Cynthia Sayer

By Alice G. Collins 2 days ago

Jul. 20—CYNTHIA SAYER, the internationally celebrated banjoist, will lead her trio in Cynthia Sayer: Hot Banjo at Paramount Arts Center on Saturday, July 24 at 8 p.m.

Genre Style: Hot Jazz, Swing and more

Location: New York City

How did the project start?

I’ve performed with many bands over the years, both as a side player and as a bandleader, including being a founding member of Woody Allen’s New Orleans Jazz Band, co-leader of The New Spike Jones Orchestra, leader of Women Of The World Jazz Band (all top women musicians), and leader of an all-banjo quartet, The New York Banjo Ensemble, which was my very first concert group. I founded my current project, The Joyride Band, as a vehicle for bringing the joy and excitement of live hot jazz and jazz banjo to audiences all over the world.

What are three adjectives to describe your style?

Exciting, unexpected and

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These 156 organizations and artists received R.I. Arts Council grants this year

By Alice G. Collins 4 days ago

PROVIDENCE — More than 150 of Rhode Island organizations related to the arts were awarded nearly $880,000 in funding from the Rhode Island State Council of the Arts on Monday.

The 156 grants, which totaled $878,942, had stemmed from financial support from the state’s General Assembly, federal funds through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and most grants were matched through contributions from businesses, individuals, and from ticket sales.

According to the Council’s executive director Randall Rosenbaum, 52 of the grants went to individual artists, and the remaining 104 went to arts and cultural organizations, arts education programs, teaching artists in healthcare and education, culture workers, and other related community projects.

“As we recover from these difficult times, it is critically important to support our arts and culture community, which was one of the first affected by the pandemic and one of the last to recover,” Rosenbaum said in

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Erie Arts and Culture and EDDC team up for Downtown and Bayfront Sculpture Walk

By Alice G. Collins 1 week ago

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Erie Arts and Culture is teaming up with the Erie Downtown Development Center displaying art sculptures throughout the downtown area.

The Downtown and Bayfront Sculpture Walk is showcasing 15 sculptures created by artists from all over the country.

On the walk, you can use an interactive map to learn more about each sculpture.

The Executive Director of Erie Arts and Culture says he hopes this will encourage residents and visitors to walk around downtown.

“We hope it promotes downtown and our neighborhoods that surround downtown. We’ve kept the footprint limited to the downtown and the Bayfront because we want all of the pieces to be walkable. You don’t really have to walk more than essentially three blocks to get from

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