Read about our new director, in her own words!
I've met so many people - artists, organization leaders - in Erie and the region these last few months. I made it a priority to be as visible and accessible as possible when stepping into this new job and this op-ed is one more way for introductions to be made.
I'm hiring a summer folk art intern! Yes, it pays. Apply by May 10! https://lnkd.in/dU3RUw4Y
Victoria Angelo, Amrita Magar, Nibal Abd El Karim, Clarisse Amani and I shared songs and stories at Mercyhurst. These women have done so much for our community and bring perspective, joy, and wisdom! Thank you Alice Edwards and Mercyhurst University for inviting us!
Professor of Spanish, Department of Anthropology and World Languages at Mercyhurst University
On October 26, Mercyhurst celebrated “I Stand with Immigrants” Campus Day of Action with a presentation by ethnomusicologist Kelly Armor and her partners in her “Old Songs, New Opportunities” program. Care for immigrants and refugees is a critical concern of the Sisters of Mercy. #iamanimmigrant
The latest issue of the Erie Reader is devoted to shopping local. It includes an article by John Burdick about Erie Arts & Culture's directory of Refugee Owned Businesses!
Yes! The plan is NOT good for people and Erie’s walkability will be further diminished.
PennDOT’s $115M Bayfront expansion draws concern from international infrastructure project manager Mark Osiecki - https://lnkd.in/e5MfGDPU
Kelly Armor reposted this
Erie Arts & Culture just announced some major changes to the Erie Arts Endowment grant programs. When I started at EAC in April, I was tasked with researching emerging grantmaking practices that were rooted in IDEA: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility. Our goal? Completely rethink and restructure the agency's approach to #grantmaking. In the past, EAC measured its impact by the quantity of grants administered, which capped at ~$2,500. The agency funded one-time initiatives to advance Erie County's arts and culture sector. Applicants applied to a general pool of funding and staff scrambled to delegate funds from multiple sources. The result? We found that applicants often overpromised in order to access grant funds and underdelivered because of the limited scope of grants offered. This left the Erie County arts sector, frankly, a little stagnant. With all this in mind, EAC restructured its grantmaking programs into subfunds to honor each initial donor's intent, increase grant award amounts, and support strategic next steps and innovative programming for both artists and arts organizations. These procedural changes will not only lighten the administrative workload for EAC staff, but will streamline the application and reporting process for applicants. EAC's emphasis on funding strategy and innovation is intended to act as a catalyst for our sector's growth. The impact of EAC's grantmaking will be measured by each grantee's definition of success. Power sharing is a central part of EAC's new approach, and our redesigned practices empower grantees to establish and report on their own evaluation criteria. During this process, I was really intrigued by conversations facilitated by PEAK Grantmaking around alternative reporting practices. Historically, EAC collected written final reports as a formality, but didn't use the data collected. So, instead of the traditional reporting structure, EAC will host a brief interim check-in call with grantees to track progress towards grant goals and identify and address grantees’ needs outside of funding. At the end of the grant cycle, peer groups will meet and discuss their projects in a round table, oral report. Grantees will have the opportunity to share their challenges and successes, champion collaboration over competition, and identify opportunities to pursue their missions together. I have to send a big thank you out to our Executive Director, Patrick Fisher. THANK YOU for your trust and guidance through this entire process. The work to advance IDEA is never finished, but I am confident that we've set off on a great foot. I'm looking forward to administering the very first cycle of these programs, starting March 1!