Under the Hood

by Dejen Tesfagiorgis Hello World! We’ve been busy lately, getting feedback from our beta customer administrators, students (+parents) and reviewers to enhance the scope of ArtsApp services. Some of our Beta customers 2009-2010 included (Click the name of each program below to see their ArtsApp Portal): The Juilliard School (NY) – Partnered to streamline applicants [...]

Too Close for Comfort: The Modern Concert Experience

For a variety of reason – some metaphorical, some literal – I find the experiences of air travel and concert going strangely similar. The ticket costs more than you hope to pay, the service is frightful, you are inevitably seated next to the loudest person in attendance, and following the experience, you have been (or [...]

Visa Regulations: Straining Cultural Exchange in America

As a way to organize my thoughts for an upcoming presentation, and also for the erudition of you, the faithful readership, I’d like to discuss visa restrictions in the U.S., with a primary focus on artists. The current process for acquiring work visas for international artists is unnecessarily long, difficult, costly of time and money, [...]

Fiscal Responsibility and the Arts

Just in the nick of time, and just as has always happened, a new class of arts administrators are coming to the fore with creative solutions to their organization’s financial woes. This is not a new concept, as arts leaders have been constant observers of the duel bottom line (finances vs. artistic integrity). If they [...]

The Case for New Productions

For every art form and medium, the artist must constantly strive for progress. Even now, our Enlightened forefathers call out, “Macht Neue!” from their graves. Whether this means birthing new works, or finding ways to translate celebrated masterpieces, artists and patrons must now, more than ever, seek to enliven the progress of art. The focal [...]

The Fine Arts of Introduction and Audition

Each year as yet another class of conservatory students are unleashed upon the cultural organizations of the world, a terrifying conclusion is struck upon – there simply aren’t enough gigs. Never mind your wunderkind, mind-blowing, haven’t-seen-anything-like-this-since-Mozart talent. There are thousands more where you came from, and you and your student loans will just have to [...]

The 2009-2010 Concert Season: Weathering the Storm

by Erik Johnson With Labor Day now past and the autumn winds returning, another season of performances and exhibitions is almost within reach. We’re all thinking a little harder about how we spend our money, but one could certainly be forgiven for thinking that this may finally be the year when the arts keep their [...]

Interlochen Website

by Dejen Tesfagiorgis After a weekend of browsing websites and staying on top of our news, we came across the new website of the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan.  But thanks to the internet, you do not have to go to Michigan to see their website, you can browse through your computer [...]

More Money for the Arts

House Appropriations Subcommittee approves