Thought Leadership and reach           

2023 Arts Leadership and Advocacy Virtual and In-Person Programs Conclude
The 2023 Arts Leadership and Advocacy Seminar programming took place this month featuring an online pre-session on February 7th and a fly-in advocacy day to Washington D.C. February 13-15. Virtual panelists included Michelle Ramos, BIPOC-Led Arts Advocacy Coalition; Claire Rice, Creative States Coalition; Ernesto Balderas, Creative States Coalition; Heather Noonan, Cultural Advocacy Group; and Najean Lee, Cultural Advocacy Group. The fly-in to Washington D.C. welcomed 71 advocates from 13 states and Guam. Advocates spoke to over 50 Congressional offices and highlighted priority issues in their local arts and cultural communities as well as broader coalition requests led by WESTAF. Speakers in Washington D.C. included Shelly Lowe, Chair, National Endowment for the Humanities; Julie Baker and Manny Cawaling, Co-Chairs, Western Arts Advocacy Network; Pam Breaux, President and CEO, NASAA; Nina Ozlu Tunceli, Chief Counsel of Government and Public Affairs, Americans for the Arts & Executive Director, Americans for the Arts Action Fund; Ben Kessler, Director of Congressional Affairs, NEA; and Alison Share, Director of Congressional Affairs, NEH.
View the Virtual Pre-Session Recording

 alliances, advocacy & policy              

Performing Arts Discovery Showcase Receives over 160 Applications
The Performing Arts Discovery Showcase, the Endowment-supported strand of the Performing Arts Discovery (PAD) program, has received 164 applications from artists representing all regions of the country. Fifty-six percent of applicants identified their primary discipline as music; other disciplines included dance (18%), multidisciplinary (16%), and theater (8%). A national panel of eight performing arts professionals will begin two rounds of review with selected artists to be announced in March.

WESTAF Announces the State Arts Agency Innovation Fund
WESTAF is thrilled to share the launch of WESTAF’s State Arts Agency Innovation Fund. In an ongoing effort to inspire innovative and transformative practices within the 13-member state arts agencies in the West, the Fund aims to support state arts agency efforts to enhance their service to individuals, families, and communities and the arts and cultural industries in their states in ways that were previously difficult to achieve.

social responsibility & inclusion      

WESTAF Hosts Quarterly Virtual Meeting for State Arts Agency Accessibility Coordinators
At the January meeting, Grants and Access Manager Ashanti McGee welcomed several new coordinators to the group and led discussions around the required NEA 504 self-evaluation and individual and collective plans for the year. The group has created a collective resource page for all western State Arts Agencies that highlights projects, guides, programs, and more for SAAs to utilize for their agencies.

WESTAF Attends the Montana Performing Arts Consortium’s 40th Annual Conference
WESTAF recently led a workshop on its TourWest program at Montana Performing Arts Consortium’s (MPAC’s) 40th Annual Conference, held in Fort Benton, Montana. The session provided updates to potential grantees on requirements for the upcoming TourWest grant and provided one-on-one consultations to current and potential TourWest grantees. Grantees expressed appreciation for the change to operational amendments during the pandemic.
View the report

WESTAF BIPOC Artist Fund Closes
WESTAF’s newest opportunity, designed specifically for BIPOC artists living and working in the 16 states and jurisdictions of the WESTAF region to advance their own artistic practice and goals, recently closed with an impressive 456 applications. The program design team, made up of individuals from eight different Emerging Leaders of Color cohort years, helped to create the artist fund, with a focus on self-determination for BIPOC artists and their communities. The program aims to invest in the wellbeing and safety of BIPOC artists, cultural practitioners, and collaboratives by providing no-strings-attached funding and support. WESTAF anticipates providing the fund to at least one applicant from each state and jurisdiction represented. WESTAF will engage members of the Emerging Leaders of Color Alumni and the Leaders of Color Fellowship Program, among others, to review applications. Information about the review criteria and program guidelines can be found here.

LEADERS OF COLOR NETWORK UPDATES   

WESTAF Supports the Leaders of Color Network’s Participation in ALAS
In addition to the members of the Equity and Inclusion Committee, Board of Trustee members and staff that are also a part of the Leaders of Color Network and Emerging Leaders of Color alumni, the Social Responsibility and Inclusion Team invited the network in its entirety to submit interest forms to participate in ALAS as a part of the delegations from their respective states. The participants include: Tatiana Ticknor (AK), Luis “L.T.” Martinez (CA), Nawahine Lanzilotti (HI), Humberto Marquez Mendez (OR), Hakim Bellamy (NM), David Dadone (CO), Yvonne Montoya (AZ), Jennifer Kleven (NV), Dayo Ayodele (ID), Tara Gumapac (HI).

WESTAF WEB SERVICES                                 

New on ZAPP: More Ways to Filter Applications
In ZAPP’s latest blog, learn all about the new ways to filter artist applications! With more ways than ever to categorize and view applications, organizing your art fair or festival has never been so easy!
Check it out

New on ZAPP: More Ways to Filter Applications
Wherever your festival tour takes you this year, immerse yourself in the public artworks of the communities you’re visiting! In this blog post, ZAPP shows you how to utilize a new ‘Near Me’ feature on Public Art Archive™! With the option to browse public art collections by region, there’s no telling where your explorations will take you.
Read the blog

2022: A CaFÉ Year in Review
Join the CaFÉ team as they look back on another year of opportunities from public art projects, sculpture walks, art exhibitions, and more! Visit the blog to see what changed on CaFÉ over the last year and learn more about what’s next.
Revisit 2022 with CaFÉ

Public Art Archive Launches New Website
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our reimagined and expanded Public Art Archive™ website! With this new immersive experience, the PAA is positioned to become the go-to digital destination and ultimate public art resource for everyone — from art curators, historians, researchers, and urban planners to casual users like public art enthusiasts and cultural tourists. Originally created in 2010 with the mission to make public art more public, the redesign of the PAA website focused on increased accessibility and user-friendliness, making the discovery of the history, context, and meaning behind each artwork easier and more engaging than ever. Check out this write-up in Forbes about the new site!
See the new Public Art Archive!