Answers for community arts!  Announcing the new training series, Americans for the Arts and UMass Arts Extension Service: Fundamentals of Local Arts

Creative Economy, job losses, Stimulus funds… in this tumultuous time, the arts are fraught with contradiction and confusion.  Local Arts Agencies are the places that artists, community leaders, civic leaders, and others turn to for help in making sense of these issues, and the places artists look to for funds to make or present their work.  In changing times, Local Arts Agencies need answers, and a new collaboration of two national arts service institutions is here to provide them. 

The Fundamentals of Local Arts Agency Management Webinar series is co-curated and moderated by Mary Margaret Schoenfeld, Acting Director of Local Arts Agency Services at the Americans for the Arts, and Maren Brown, the Director of the Arts Extension Service at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.  With 50 years of service, Americans for the Arts (AFTA) is the nation’s premier arts advocacy organization dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts.  The Arts Extension Service is national arts service organizaiton, and a leader in providing arts management trainings, publications, workshops, and online classes for artists and arts managers. 

For more information contact:  Maren Brown, Director, Arts Extension Service at the UMass Amherst, 413-545-2360 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   or Mary Margaret Schoenfeld of Americans for the Arts, 202-371-2830 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

This ten-session webinar series, Fundamentals of Local Arts Agencies will provide an important and comprehensive overview of the local arts movement, key management skills, and will address the critical issues and the exciting opportunities open to local arts agency leaders. 

Designed for those new to the field or for those who may have new responsibilities, the Webinars are open to civic leaders, local arts professionals, board members and volunteers, those who support the arts, and for anyone considering a career in local arts agency management.
  
Speakers in the series have extensive experience working with local arts agencies and are experts in their field.  For a full list of offerings and to register, visit the Americans for the Arts registration page at http://eo2.commpartners.com/users/afta/series.php?id=848 .  The Fundamentals of Local Arts Agency Management Webinars are offered at $85 for AFTA members or $125 for nonmembers.

Life Outside the Cardboard Box: Making a Living in the Arts

Life Outside the Cardboard Box: Making a Living in the Arts is a new 7-part lecture series to be presented at 227 Herter Hall, above Herter Gallery, on Tuesdays 5:30 - 7 pm, from March 24th to May 7th at the University of Massachusetts.  This series is a collaborative effort between the Center for Research in Art and Technology and the UMass Arts Extension Service, the School of Management, and is supported in part by grants from the UMass Arts Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.  The lectures are free and open to artists of all disciplines to explore opportunities to help them build successful careers in their chosen field.  

John Nugent, Visiting Artist to Speak April 1st, at Studio Arts Building

What do UMass, a Hobbit and the Matrix have in common?  UMass graduate, John
Nugent, who is the Visual Effects Supervisor and founder of Sandbox FX, of
Pittsfield, Massachusetts.  Nugent has a degree in fine arts from UMass Amherst
and 16 years of experience in feature film visual effects, including five
Oscar-winning features: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Matrix, and What
Dreams May Come, as well as The Jumper, Night at the Museum and The Chronicles
of Narnia.

Arts Extension Service Director to appear on WGBY's WATERCOOLER with host Susan Kaplan