ArtsErie Blog

Erie Times-News takes the pulse of the arts in our community

posted on: Monday, February 18, 2013

The Erie Times-News published its Erie 2013 annual economic report on Sunday, February 19. The report, also published online, included a section on Erie Vital Signs, the community collaboration that tracks indicators that reflect and measure our county's well-being in eight topical areas including Brain Gain and Cultural Vitality.

Two articles in this section are of particular interest to arts and culture audiences: Create prosperity with class and New studies paint picture of arts. Both articles discuss how the arts drive economic prosperity and community vitality -- key points of CultureSpark, the Erie County Cultural Master Plan.


Knowing and Growing Erie's New Creative Economy Symposium

posted on: Thursday, November 01, 2012

Join us on November 15 from 2-6 p.m. at the Erie Art Museum (Enter on East 5th Street between State and French) for the Knowing and Growing Erie's New Creative Economy Symposium, part of Global Entrepreneur Week. The emphasis for the day is how to capitalize on creativity to spark business, innovation and growth. ArtsErie will announce and discuss the results of the Local Arts Index and Arts & Economic Prosperity IV reports. The event is free and open to all.

The Knowing and Growing our New Creative Economy symposium will include presentations of the Creative Class Group's research on Erie’s position and talent cluster analysis. Both local and national leaders in creative class research will speak regarding their expertise.

Schedule

2 p.m. -- Steve Pedigo, Director of Research at Creative Class Group, will explain Erie’s creative economy positioning. He provides analysis of economic and consumer trends for the Creative Class Group and works with communities like Erie to establish initiatives to attract and retain talent.  His research has been featured in publications as The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Dallas Morning News.

2:45 p.m. -- Susan Breon, Interim Executive Director, ArtsErie, will address local arts assets and industry. Susan previously served on the board of the Arts Council of Erie (now ArtsErie) and currently serves on the board of the North East Arts Council. She is also a member of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

3 p.m. -- Anne Katz, Executive Director, Arts Wisconsin, will suggest how to attract, grow and retain creative industries. She is the first executive director of this nonprofit statewide community arts action and development organization. She guides Arts Wisconsin’s programs and activities, serves Wisconsin’s diverse and ever-expanding creative community and advocates and builds partnerships in the public and private sectors for the arts and creative industries on the local level.

3:45 p.m. -- Amber Liggitt, founder of Amber’s Amazing Balloons and Larry Jutte, CEO, Ernie Green Industries Inc., two entrepreneurs from the Uncommon Individual Foundation will discuss their businesses.  They will explain how they transformed their ideas into the businesses they are today.

4 p.m. -- Two successful StARTup Incubator entrepreneurs, Karen Rzpecki, ReCap, and Todd Scalise, Scalise Graphic Design, will also share their stories.

4:30 p.m. -- Ray Leach, CEO, Jump Start Inc., will present Entrepreneurial Ecosystems 101.  He is leading JumpStart America’s effort to build public, private, and philanthropic partnerships across the country to develop and grow entrepreneurial ecosystems and transform regional economies.

The symposium will close with a moderated panel discussion.

The Symposium is sponsored by Erie Vital Signs, StARTup Incubator, ArtsErie, Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, ECGRA - Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority, Erie Art MuseumJ.L. Nick Associates, Inc. and BlueTree Allied Angels.

For more information contact Beth Zimmer at 814.454.4322 ext. 224.

 


Join ArtsErie as we launch the CultureSpark website!

posted on: Saturday, October 08, 2011

CultureSpark website is HERE!
Join ArtsErie as we launch the site

A key recommendation of the CultureSpark plan was the creation of an online directory for artists and arts/cultural/heritage organizations. The time is now. 

 

  • Join us for a walk through of the new directory website.  
  • Sign up for your own web presence on this key  community asset.  
  • Learn about the website marketing plans.

 

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Presentations at:
5:30 p.m. AND 7:00 p.m.

Center City Arts
138 East 26th Street
Erie, PA 16504

 

LIMITED SEATING AVAILABLE

Please R.S.V.P. by Friday, 10/14
to Soña at (814) 452-3427
or sona@artserie.org

 

Refreshments and a light buffet will be provided in celebration of supporting our local artists and the arts, culture and heritage organizations that make our region so vibrant.  

 

Click here to download the CultureSpark event flyer

 

 


Arts Funding in Jeopardy

posted on: Thursday, March 03, 2011

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed an appropriations bill which reduces funding to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) by $43 million.

How does this affect us in Erie County?
  The Pennsylvania Council of the Arts (PCA) receives just under $1M in funding from the NEA, the majority of which becomes part of the PCA’s grant pool.  As that pool is reduced, the amount available for local programs and projects is also reduced.   In addition, several Erie County organizations including the Erie Playhouse, Erie Art Museum and the Erie Philharmonic have received direct funding from the NEA.

The U.S. House and Senate also just passed the Continuing Resolution which eliminates the Department of Education’s $40 million Arts in Education program. This program funds a large number of arts education activities across in the country, including ArtsErie’s model arts in education program that is integrating the arts into the core curriculum at elementary schools in Union City, Cambridge Springs and Meadville, all schools in high poverty areas.  This program provides extensive teacher training and work for artists. It is unclear at the moment of how a short-term CR might impact a program that currently has over 50 active multi-year grants in place around the country. However, this can be fixed in the upcoming long-term CR that Congress and the White House are currently negotiating.

It is vitally important that the arts community mobilizes to restore this important Arts in Education program, as well as restore the cuts previously made in the House to the National Endowment for the Arts, as the final FY2011 budget is considered in the coming days.

PLEASE, take a few moments to write Congress, expressing your concern that these cuts will negatively impact Erie County.  Share that these valuable programs create jobs, provide an economic benefit to our community and enable access to the arts.  PLEASE encourage your board members and your audiences to do the same.