A pathway for confronting the cultural sector’s challenges The health of the cultural sector, and its ability to be creative, innovative, and resilient depends on the quality and skills of the people working for our organizations. In order for our sector to remain vibrant and relevant, we need to continually develop and leverage the skills our people possess.

by Courtney Duffy, Robert W. Deutsch Arts & Technology Policy Fellow at Fractured Atlas Courtney Duffy, our Robert W. Deutsch Arts & Technology Policy Fellow, has an update on the results of our advocacy in opposition to proposed changes at the IRS that would have dramatically complicated the way nonprofits accept gifts from donors.

Seven-year-old selves rejoice During the recent holiday gift-giving season I discovered what many of you might already know: coloring books are cool again. And the seven-year-old Tim Cynova with his truck and tractor coloring book is psyched. Where have you been all these years my waxy-smelling Crayola companions?

We did it everyone! It’s 2016! We made it to the future! Congratulations all around. The year is filled with so much promise just waiting to be derailed by the mundane. When it comes to the constant battle of the urgent versus the important, no time management strategy lasts forever. It’s a series of strategies and tactics that will enable us to look back on 2016 with more pride at what we’ve accomplished than regret at what might have been. (Did you catch that? This year is only hours old and I just skipped ahead to the end. Life moves so quickly nowadays.)

As you prepare to brave the roads, rails, and/or skies this holiday season, or just squirrel away under a pile of blankets, consider putting down the glowing screen and try some old school entertainment and enlightenment in the form of a book.

A Fractured Atlas Guide to Coffee Preparation Illustrations by Jason Tseng Do something once and you’ve got a celebration, but do it twice and now you’ve got a tradition.

Courtney Duffy, our Robert W. Deutsch Arts & Technology Policy fellow, has the lowdown on education legislation which includes several arts-related provisions and was signed into law by President Obama last week. If you have any thoughts or questions, feel free to drop her a line by email (Courtney Duffy@fracturedatlas.org), on Twitter @cduffy90, or in the post’s comment section.

What’s the most unusual place that you’ve seen a concert hosted within the last few months? We’ve had a lot of concerts in bedrooms. That’s kind of strange. There was one on that boat in San Francisco — on a house boat in San Francisco. That was cool. I wasn’t there, but I heard about it.

This gear guide series is a collaboration between Fractured Atlas and our partner KitSplit — check out their blog here! Shara is a public radio producer and podcaster based out of Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Marketplace, NPR’s Latino USA, KCRW, and more. She is currently producing two podcasts:” What’s Wrong With Me” featuring Time columnist Joel Stein, and Slate/Panoply’s #GirlbossRadio hosted by Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso. She also hosts a bi-monthly podcast called Homemade News.

Unsurprisingly, there aren’t a ton of grant deadlines in the month of December. In fact, you’re probably spending a lot of your efforts trying to gin up end-of-year giving from individual donors — and keep fighting that good fight. But now might also be the perfect opportunity to do a quick check-in on your arts practice or arts organization to evaluate your readiness for grant opportunities in the new year. For those of you who’ve never applied for a grant before (and even for many of you who have) here are five juicy tidbits to stew on about as you determine your preparedness for the upcoming grants season.