The Association of Teaching Artists (ATA) is a not for profit professional organization whose mission is to strengthen and serve Teaching Artists from all disciplines in New York, California, and beyond. Connect. Get jobs. Go Teach!
Showing posts with label the imperial senate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the imperial senate. Show all posts
It is kind of an open secret that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is one of the non-profit sector's most reliable anonymous donors. Through an arrangement with the Carnegie Corporation, the richest man in town annually gives millions of dollars away to arts and cultural organizations across the city--usually without requiring groups to submit huge amounts of onerous paperwork.
A recent New York Times article reveals that some questioned the mayor's altruism all along, and confirms that nothing lasts forever:
"Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, New York City’s richest man and biggest philanthropist, is quietly pulling the plug on an unusual program that has poured nearly $200 million of his fortune into nonprofit groups across the five boroughs."
In her speech to the delegates, NEA rep Sarah B. Cunningham, the keynote speaker at last week's Face to Face conference, talked and talked. I enjoyed it awfully, especially the part where she argued for the inclusion of artists in decision-making processes around public policy, education and the use of public space. There was a groovy slideshow and at the end, they let us ask a few questions.
I love the idea that we're important enough to listen to. It's so much better than being ignored. It makes me think that if professional teaching artists were consulted, about the design of all new school buildings for instance--then slop sinks, dance floors, and blackbox theaters with lighting grids would be de rigueur. Future teaching artists would have to spend less time trying to commandeer space, or transform unsuitable spaces into workable arenas for art-making and art-related instruction.
Sarah B. Cunningham is right. We need more simple machines. Like feedback loops within organizations to inform planning.
On the flip side, I think it is fair to say that TAs who demand a voice at the table should have something credible and useful to say.
Is this just a part-time thing, or are you making a career out of this? I'm just asking, but seriously, is there room in this field for the both of us?
Why is anyone just allowed to call themselves a teaching artist? You can't just call yourself a plumber, or a yoga teacher, can you? Aren't we carrying a skill-set as specific as a plumber, or a yoga teacher? Shouldn't there be rules about this sort of thing? I mean, this has been going on for decades, shouldn't we all have professional memberships with real benefits by now?
ATA is on Facebook, and I'm kind of on Twitter. Maybe you'll stop by?
The New York Times reports that, after the Democratic Party's historic Senate loss in Massachusetts, President Barack Obama has signaled a willingness to jettison near-universal health care.
Crain's says that New York City's unemployment rate tops the nation's at 10.6%.
Plus: The FREELANCERS UNION offers group insurance rates for freelance teaching artists, and others who want to live.
The New York Times reports that health insurance reform has cleared an early committee hurdle. However, some politicians have declared the "public health insurance" option anathema--so, don't get too excited.
First, this:
"If you don’t have health insurance, this bill is for you,” said Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut...It guarantees that you’ll be able to find an insurance plan that works for you, including a public health insurance option if you want it.”
On the other hand:
Republicans on the panel, who voted unanimously against the measure, described the idea of a new public insurance option as a deal-breaker. They said they still hoped that a consensus bill would emerge from the Senate Finance Committee.
Related links:
• New York Times July 14, 2009. The new state budget in Massachusetts eliminates health care coverage for some 30,000 legal immigrants to help close a growing deficit, reversing progress toward universal coverage.
• The Health Care Blog promises "everything you wanted to know about the health care system. But were afraid to ask." No Country for Old Men, an excellent* article by Jeff Goldsmith lays out a case against the public option here. ("Excellent" does not mean you got it right. Sometimes it just means you tried hard.")
• At Real Clear Markets: "the number of uninsured has grown to an estimated 50 million people because of the recession. Even so, advocates in the halls of Congress are rarely the uninsured themselves."
Also: Over at the New York Times, lawmakers and the White House doggedly pursue President Obama’s top policy goal of extending health coverage to all Americans, sometime in the future.
One of my Senators voted for the Coburn Amendment, which is basically like telling me to drop dead. Luckily, Americans for the Arts has provided me with an easy way to craft a customized message so I can respond, which I did, vehemently.
If your Senator voted for this funding prohibition, you can send them a note expressing your extreme disappointment and ask them to work to delete this language in the final conference bill with the House. You can also give their office a call.
The New York Times headline reads "Obama Says Failing to Act Could Lead to a ‘Catastrophe'"
Mr. Obama’s tone was for the most part serious and businesslike, and he was pointed in rebutting Republican criticisms of his economic plan, saying he was not willing to take advice from “the folks who presided over a doubling of the national debt.”
As we discussed yesterday, some of your favorite things are on the chopping block. There's no time like the present for you to take action. Let's face it, in this crisis, there's really no time at all.
Metamusical: Weill/Brecht (Kurt Weill/Bertolt Brecht - The Threepenny Opera @ youtube.)
If you read the news, you know by now that all the jobs have vanished and the Imperial Senate has reached a deal on the stimulus bill. Since you did not get to vote on this one, you may be wondering just what got cut.
Hypertextual: For what advancement may I hope from thee, That no revenue hast but thy good spirits To feed and clothe thee? Why should the poor be flatter'd?
