South Arts Inc

SEE SCHEDULE O FOR COMPLETE DESCRIPTION.SOUTH ARTS, INC., A NONPROFIT REGIONAL ARTS ORGANIZATION, WAS FOUNDED IN 1975 TO BUILD ON THE SOUTH'S UNIQUE HERITAGE AND ENHANCE THE PUBLIC VALUE OF THE ARTS. SOUTH ARTS' WORK RESPONDS TO THE ARTS ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURAL TRENDS WITH A REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE; OFFERS AN ANNUAL PORTFOLIO OF ACTIVITIES DESIGNED TO ADDRESS THE ROLE OF THE ARTS IN IMPACTING THE ISSUES IMPORTANT TO OUR REGION; LINKS THE SOUTH WITH THE NATION AND THE WORLD THROUGH THE ARTS. THE ORGANIZATION WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STATE ART AGENCIES OF ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND TENNESSEE. IT IS FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, MEMBER STATES, FOUNDATIONS, BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS.

SOUTH ARTS, WITH SUPPORT FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT OF THE ARTS, OFFERS GRANTS AND SUBSIDIES IN AN EFFORT TO STRENGTHEN PRESENTERS ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY, AND TO SUSTAIN AND EXPAND MARKETS FOR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND ARTISTS. THROUGH OUR TOURING DOLLARS, WE SUPPORT PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES AND READINGS THAT PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE ENGAGEMENT OF UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. THIS PROGRAM CONTRIBUTES TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND SUPPORTS HIGH ARTISTIC QUALITY PROJECTS WITH STRONG EDUCATIONAL AND OUTREACH COMPONENTS FOR THE RESIDENTS ACROSS OUR REGION. INCLUDED ARE TRAINING, EDUCATION, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, FILM SCREENINGS, AND TOURING GRANTS TO PERFORMING AND LITERARY ARTS ORGANIZATIONS.

SERVICE TO THE FIELD INCLUDES THE NATIONAL COALITION - SOUTH ARTS CO-CHAIRS THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL COALITION FOR ARTS' PREPAREDNESS AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND ADMINISTERED A GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS TO SUPPORT COALITION ACTIVITIES. THE COALITION IS A CROSS-DISCIPLINARY NETWORK OF ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS AND USES A COMBINED STRATEGY OF RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, EDUCATIONAL EMPOWERMENT AND ADVOCACY TO STRENGTHEN DISASTER READINESS AND RESILIENCE WITHIN THE ARTS AND CULTURE SECTOR. ACTIVITIES INCLUDED THE CONTINUATION OF A PART TIME CONTRACT COORDINATOR; CREATING A SEVEN-YEAR STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN; CONDUCTING A WEBINAR FOR GRANTMAKERS IN THE ARTS MEMBERS; SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ARTS RESPONDER NETWORK IN NEW YORK FOLLOWING CONTINUING TO DEVELOP THE ARTS RESPONDER HANDBOOK; AND SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ARTS RESPONDER NETWORK.

SOUTHERN CIRCUIT TOUR OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS PROVIDES COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE SOUTH WITH A TOUR OF HIGHLY TALENTED INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS. TWENTY ONE PARTNER COMMUNITIES PRESENTED 132 FILM SCREENINGS AND ENGAGED FILMMAKERS IN POST-SCREENING AND CLASSROOM DISCUSSIONS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES. SOUTHERN CIRCUIT IS THE NATION'S FIRST REGIONAL TOUR OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS, PROVIDING COMMUNITIES WITH AN INTERACTIVE WAY OF EXPERIENCING INDEPENDENT FILM. OVER 5,800 INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATED IN SOUTHERN CIRCUIT SCREENINGS INCLUDING 18 FILMMAKERS AND AUDIENCES IN 25 COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH ARTS' NINE-STATE REGION.

IN SEPTEMBER OF FY2012, WITH SUPPORT FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS AND THE ANDREW T. MELLON FOUNDATION, SOUTH ARTS LAUNCHED THE ARTSREADY ONLINE PREPAREDNESS PLATFORM. ARTSREADY IS A NATIONAL INITIATIVE TO MAKE POST-CRISIS SUSTAINABILITY A PRIORITY FOR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS. DESIGNED BY AND FOR THE ARTS COMMUNITY, ARTSREADY ENCOMPASSES AN "ALL HAZARDS" PLANNING APPROACH. ARTSREADY IS BASED ON CRITICAL FUNCTION RATHER THAN DISASTER TYPE TO ENSURE FLEXIBILITY OF ITS EXECUTION, SO AN ORGANIZATION CAN SAFEGUARD ASSETS, FUNCTION, AND RESOURCES AGAINST CRISES OF ANY TYPE OR SIZE. ARTSREADY PROVIDES READINESS AND RECOVERY RESOURCES TO BASIC MEMBERS, AND FOR PREMIUM MEMBERS, IT HAS A ROBUST APPLICATION THAT HELPS TO FORMULATE CUSTOMIZED, COMPREHENSIVE BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANS. ALSO, THE TOOL PROMPTS PREMIUM USERS WITH AUTOMATED REMINDERS, SO PLANS DO NOT BECOME OUTDATED AND MAINTENANCE CAN BECOME PART OF AN ADMINISTRATOR'S NORMAL ROUTINE. THE ARTSREADY PLATFORM HAS A SOCIAL NETWORK COMPONENT AS WELL, SO ORGANIZATIONS CAN DEVELOP RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER ARTS ORGANIZATIONS, THEREBY KNOWING TO WHOM TO TURN IN TIMES OF NEED. SERVICE TO THE FIELD INCLUDES THE NATIONAL COALITION - SOUTH ARTS CO-CHAIRS THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL COALITION FOR ARTS' PREPAREDNESS AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND ADMINISTERED A GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS TO SUPPORT COALITION ACTIVITIES. THE COALITION IS A CROSS-DISCIPLINARY NETWORK OF ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS AND USES A COMBINED STRATEGY OF RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, EDUCATIONAL EMPOWERMENT AND ADVOCACY TO STRENGTHEN DISASTER READINESS AND RESILIENCE WITHIN THE ARTS AND CULTURE SECTOR. ACTIVITIES INCLUDED THE CONTINUATION OF A PART TIME CONTRACT COORDINATOR; CREATING A SEVEN-YEAR STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN; CONDUCTING A WEBINAR FOR GRANTMAKERS IN THE ARTS MEMBERS; SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ARTS RESPONDER NETWORK IN NEW YORK FOLLOWING CONTINUING TO DEVELOP THE ARTS RESPONDER HANDBOOK; AND SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ARTS RESPONDER NETWORK.ARTS EDUCATION - SOUTH ARTS RELEASED THE RESULTS OF MULTI-YEAR RESEARCH INVESTIGATING ARTS EDUCATION IN THE SOUTH. THE REPORTS, "ARTS EDUCATION IN THE SOUTH PHASE I: PUBLIC SCHOOL DATA AND PRINCIPALS' PERSPECTIVES AND "ARTS EDUCATION IN THE SOUTH PHASE II: PROFILES OF QUALITY," LOOK AT ACCESS TO AND QUALITY OF ARTS EDUCATION IN K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND TENNESSEE THROUGH A SET OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH. THE REPORTS WERE COMMISSIONED BY SOUTH ARTS WITH FUNDING FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS AND NINE PARTICIPATING STATE ARTS AGENCIES. THE FIRST PHASE OF THE RESEARCH WAS COMPILED WITH DATA COLLECTED FROM 4,400 PRINCIPALS. THE SECOND PHASE OF THE RESEARCH INCLUDES NINE CASE STUDIES OF MODEL PROGRAMS CONDUCTED BY THE SOUTHEAST CENTER EDUCATION IN THE ARTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA.THE REPORTS WERE RELEASED LIVE AND VIA LIVESTREAM FROM THE SCEA NATIONAL FORUM ON ARTS IN EDUCATION AND HAS BEEN DISTRIBUTED REGIONALLY AND NATIONALLY TO ARTS AND EDUCATION LEADERS.THE PERFORMING ARTS EXCHANGE (PAE) IS THE PRIMARY MARKETPLACE AND FORUM FOR PERFORMING ARTS PRESENTING AND TOURING ARTISTS IN THE EASTERN US. THE 43RD ANNUAL PERFORMING ARTS EXCHANGE (PAE) WAS HELD IN ATLANTA, GA. APPROXIMATELY 600 ATTENDEES FROM OVER 27 STATES, CANADA AND VARIOUS COUNTRIES ATTENDED THE TRADE SHOW, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS, ARTIST SHOWCASES, AND NETWORKING ACTIVITIES AT THE CONFERENCE. 160 PRESENTING ORGANIZATIONS, REPRESENTED BY 195 INDIVIDUALS, CHOSE PAE AS THEIR PRIMARY BOOKING EVENT AND SEARCHED AMONGST THE OVER 300 ARTISTS, AGENCIES AND MANAGERS IN ATTENDANCE FOR THEIR STAGES.THE PERFORMING ARTS EXCHANGE (PAE) IS THE PRIMARY MARKETPLACE AND FORUM FOR PERFORMING ARTS PRESENTING AND TOURING ARTISTS IN THE EASTERN US.