WESTAF Update Notes #92 | May 2017
Mai Anthony Radich, Luna Hoʻokele
This is the 92nd in a continuing series of updates about the work of WESTAF
Advocacy Efforts to Support the National Endowment for the Arts
WESTAF has expanded its advocacy work on behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts. Recently, three contractors were hired to focus exclusively on this project and to work closely with our regional network of advocates. Yvonne Montoya, director of Safos Dance Theatre in Tucson, is activating our Emerging Leaders of Color (ELC) network; Craig Watson, the immediate past Director of the California Arts Council, is managing our California initiative; and Susan Petrella, the previous civic engagement coordinator for ArtsforLA, is assisting with our state-by-state effort. WESTAF has also created an NEA Advocacy center with the latest updates on the NEA FY18 budget as well as an Advocacy Toolkit that contains step-by-step guides for calling, writing, and meeting with members of Congress. Advocates can also find talking points there to use when engaging with members of Congress or their staff. To join this effort, sign up at bit.ly/NEA-updates.
GO Smart™ Enhancements
GO Smart™, WESTAF’s newly enhanced online grants-management solution, has started building several exciting new client-requested improvements. Coming this fall, the panel process is will be mobile responsive and allow multiple panels per cycle. In addition, grant makers will soon have the option to connect GO Smart to other software via an API. Both enhancements are underway and will be available to all clients in the coming months. You can learn more about how GO Smart can streamline grantmaking at GOSmart.org.
WESTAF Staff at AFTA Convention in San Francisco
WESTAF staff will travel to San Francisco June 15-18 for the Americans for the Arts (AFTA) annual convention. Staff will be available to answer questions about WESTAF technology programs, upcoming convenings, and current initiatives. Stop by our exhibitor table at the main convention or schedule a time in advance to talk individually with a staff member about any of WESTAF’s projects. To set up a meeting, please email Leah Horn at Leah.Horn@westaf.org.
ZAPP® Arts Festival Conference Committee Created
Slated for February, 2018, the 9th ZAPP Arts Festival Conference will be revised to help attract more artists and grow the event. In order to do this, ZAPP managers have formed a conference-advisory committee to help plan and promote the event, with the specific intention of making this two-day professional development event more accessible to artists in the art-fair community. The members of the committee are:

Tara Brickell – Executive Director, Cherry Creek Arts Festival
Stephen King – Executive Director, Des Moines Arts Festival
Cindy Lerick – Executive Director, Sausalito Art Festival Foundation
Maureen Riley – Executive Director, Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the Original
Sheri Sanderson – Festival Manager, LeMoyne Chain of Parks Arts Festival
Carla Fox – Director, Art in the High Desert and visual artist in the art fair field
Benjamin Frey – Board Chair, National Association of Independent Artists (NAIA) and visual artist in the art fair field
Will Armstrong – Artist Representative, ZAPP Oversight Committee and visual artist in the art fair field

For more information about the event, contact ZAPP Manager Christina Villa at Christina.Villa@westaf.org.

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