New book for your summer reading list: The Art of Relevance by Nina Simon (photo by Lisa Niedermeyer) The title of Nina Simon’s new book, The Art of Relevance, perfectly sets up our expectations as a reader. It could have been titled The Ultimate Guide to Relevance, or 10 Steps to Being More Relevant, but Simon would never choose such titles because she understands relevance is a moving target. Framing the pursuit of relevance as an art primes us to seek insights into process. Many of you already know Nina’s work from her popular blog Museum 2.0, her best selling book The Participatory Museum or her TEDx Talk Opening Up the Museum. However, for those of you who don’t recognize the name, here is all you need to know in order to be interested in this book’s author — Nina is hungry for accountability. It is not enough to just talk about building relevance in diverse communities, she is deeply invested in what actually works and holding oneself accountable. Before reading this book my working definition of ‘relevance’ was something along the lines of ‘to be relevant you must be in tune with the current environment; you are topical and timely’. Simon replaces such milk-toast definitions of relevance with the following: Relevance is a key that unlocks meaning. It opens doors to experiences that matter to us, surprise us, and bring value into our lives. If we believe the products, services and experiences we create are relevant to a certain audience, but we aren’t unlocking new meaningful experiences for that audience, we aren’t in fact relevant to them at all. Take a moment to let that truly sink in. Many of us are likely attempting to market to, invite, and build for specific communities, but are we unlocking new information that is meaningful to the lives of those individuals? What would it look like if we did? What does it take to authentically do it well? How might the pursuit of relevance change us? What is the danger of irrelevance? The Art of Relevance is an opportunity to learn from others stories and Simon’s thoughtful framing. As I read the book I dog-eared page after page, making notes of the people in my world that I wanted to share the a-ha’s with. Here are the groupings those folks fell into, I highly recommend this book to: People designing new experiences (artists, software developers, curators). People leading efforts around equity and inclusion (arts admins, founders, board members). People advocating for the intersection of communities (disability + dance, museum + homeless, lgbt + race). People tuning into potential for scalable relevance (philanthropists, investors, entrepreneurs). The Art of Relevance is an engaging, 196 page read, anchored with stories and examples ranging from small artist-led community projects to large established institutions. (It’s worth noting 2 of the projects featured are Fractured Atlas members and past honorees of our Arts Entrepreneurship Award. Kudos to Museum of Impact and The Laundromat Project!). While the e-book version offers the convenience of reading on the device of your choice, the printed version offers a bright key covered front, thoughtfully designed as a social object. What conversations might be sparked with a stranger on a plane, on a park bench, on your commute, because you are both curious about unlocking meaning?

Each month we feature one of our fiscally sponsored projects who have been successful at using our program to advance their art/cause/career. This month’s featured project is Catacomb of Veils.

Arts, Technology, and Business Stories to Watch by Fractured Atlas Every week, we find the most interesting and important stories at the intersection of the Arts, technology, and business and share them with you. (If you’d like to get these in your e-mail inbox you can subscribe to here). Check back every week for insightful and eye-opening stories that peaked our interest, and hopefully yours too.

Arts, Technology, and Business Stories to Watch by Fractured Atlas Every week, we find the most interesting and important stories at the intersection of the Arts, technology, and business and share them with you. (If you’d like to get these in your e-mail inbox you can subscribe to here).

This May, Fractured Atlas had the opportunity to bring together the 2016 Arts Entrepreneurship Awards honorees in New York City. The event, Creative to the Core, celebrated the work of five organizations who are pushing the boundaries of conventional business practice in the arts. Representatives from each organization engaged in an insightful panel discussion about what it takes to bring innovative approaches to their arts businesses and their visions for the future of the field.

Each month we feature one of our fiscally sponsored projects who have been successful at using our program to advance their art/cause/career. This month’s featured project is Such A Funny Life. Cover Photo by Gavin Whitner (https://musicoomph.com)

On Wednesday May 4th, Fractured Atlas fiscally sponsored artists hit an unprecedented milestone: collectively, they have raised over $100 million dollars since the program launched in 2002. These artists, groups, and organizations shared a belief that their work had value, and that their communities would not only welcome it, but also financially support it through fiscal sponsorship. And they were right: their patrons, fans, and institutional partners were right there with them, contributing the funds necessary to create and share their work.

source: Wikimedia Arts, Technology, and Business Stories to Watch by Fractured Atlas Every week, we find the most interesting and important stories at the intersection of the Arts, technology, and business and share them with you. (If you’d like to get these in your e-mail inbox you can subscribe to here). Check back every week for insightful and eye-opening stories that peaked our interest, and hopefully yours too. How Identity Politics Conquered the Art World. “Art in this era has veered dramatically toward an approach that hasn’t been seen in the West for more than 1,000 years: a concerted urge, almost a rage, to be totally communicative to the largest possible audiences […] in the same register, telling stories of social, political, and philosophical conditions. Of course, not everybody today is making this kind of work. But taken together, it does constitute a real aesthetic movement, one that is biographical, autobiographical, personal — the art of the first person.” OPINION: Art Museums Should Be Allowed toParticipate in Both Sides of the Free Market. But what if rules about deaccessioning were abandoned? What would happen? My guess is: nothing much. […] In the end, a free market in art would most likely produce a net increase in public welfare, just as free markets do in nearly every other area. Getting to Evidence-Based Policy: Three Perspectives. “We may all agree that we want to base our policies and programs on good evidence, but questions remain. What evidence is most useful and reliable? Which options are based on the strongest evidence? Do we have enough evidence to make confident decisions?” Vincent van Bot: The Robots Turning Their Hand to Art. “’We’re so early with the possibilities of robots and art, the sky is the limit,’ said the competition founder, Andrew Conru. ‘It’s refreshing to see technology in action.’” Canada Council Unveils Strategic Plan, Focusing on Indigenous Art Creation and Digital Technology. “The Canada Council for the Arts plans to create a separate granting stream for indigenous arts and artists and to use its programs and influence ‘to engender a new relationship between Canada’s indigenous and non-indigenous peoples.’” What Role Can Artists Play in Prison Reform? “The relationship between artists and their subjects has always been full of potential pitfalls, and in the midst of the presidential primary spectacle and a cultural environment in which trying to demonstrate social consciousness has become a kind of currency for mega-corporations and massive arts institutions alike, it can be tough not to feel the creep of cynicism. But this conversation surprised me.”

Our Robert W. Deutsch Arts & Technology Policy Fellow Courtney Duffy has the scoop on Arts Advocacy Day, which takes place in Washington, D.C. on March 7 and 8, 2016. You can follow her on Twitter @cduffy90 and track event goings on using #ArtsAdvocacyDay. It’s that time of year again: Arts Advocacy Day is upon us! Hundreds of arts advocates from across the country have descended upon the nation’s capital to speak with a unified voice and ask Congress to support funding, programs, and policies that enrich our nation’s arts community.