Contact: Wendy Levy, Executive Director
wendy@thealliance.media 510 406 8623
11 December 2018
THE ALLIANCE FOR MEDIA ARTS + CULTURE ANNOUNCES $300,000 GRANT FROM THE MACARTHUR FOUNDATION
Spokane, WA – The Alliance for Media Arts +Culture today announces a $300,000 grant from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for field-building programs that support community-based media arts organizations and institutions across the country, providing access to new technologies, professional mentorship for arts leaders, tools for youth media program innovation, workforce development, and cultural strategies designed to deepen impact and build equity and sustainability across the media sector.
Alliance programs include Arts2Work, the first federally-registered National Apprenticeship Program in Media Arts + Creative Technologies; The Innovation Studio, where an immersive, WebVR replica of The Colored Girls Museum in Philadelphia is currently being prototyped; The National Youth Media Network, and a series of field-building public programs including regional HatchLabs, the biennial Alliance Conference, Video Roundtables, and The Creative Leadership Lab at Sundance. “The Alliance is committed to building a world where humanity, creativity and culture thrive,” says Executive Director Wendy Levy. “Our programs are designed to connect and advance media and journalism organizations and independent artists, spur collaborations and vibrant cross-sector partnerships, and provide access to technology and needed resources for creative communities often trapped in culture of scarcity.”
The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture represents a broad community of over 7,000 members, subscribers and partners in 25 states and 7 countries. Founded in San Francisco, CA in 1980, the Alliance has recently moved its home base to Spokane, Washington and offers programs across the country and around the world. The National Board of Directors of The Alliance includes industry leaders from Google, Microsoft, National Public Radio, Sesame Workshop, SiriusXM, California College of the Arts and others. In addition to the field-building programs offered throughout the year, The Alliance also offers grants to artists and organizations, conducts and publishes research, and advocates on behalf of the media arts field on pressing issues including funding, diversity and inclusion, ethics, fair use, and a free and open internet.
“We see tremendous energy and creativity among organizations working at the intersection of art, media, youth, technology, and social movements. At the same time, this field is facing great challenges having to do with sustainability, infrastructure, training and leadership, compounded by external threats to media makers, journalists and activists,” said Kathy Im, Director of Journalism and Media at the MacArthur Foundation. “In this context, the Alliance is innovating and problem-solving and providing essential leadership and inspiration for the field.”
***
About The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture
The Alliance was founded by an eclectic group of media arts organization leaders who realized they could strengthen their social and cultural impact by working as a united force. Their idea was as bold as it was simple: to create a national organization that would provide support services to its institutional members, and advocate for the field as a whole. Since its founding, The Alliance has worked to raise the profile and influence of the media arts on behalf of its growing and changing membership. Today, The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture welcomes individuals across disciplines, local, regional and national media nonprofits, international NGOs and strategic partners from all sectors, building an inclusive, collaborative, creative future. www.thealliance.media
About The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur is placing a few big bets that truly significant progress is possible on some of the world’s most pressing social challenges, including over-incarceration, global climate change, nuclear risk, and significantly increasing financial capital for the social sector. In addition to the MacArthur Fellows Program, the Foundation continues its historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsible and responsive democracy, as well as the strength and vitality of our headquarters city, Chicago. MacArthur is one of the nation’s largest independent foundations. Organizations supported by the Foundation work in about 50 countries. In addition to Chicago, MacArthur has offices in India, Mexico, and Nigeria.
