February 6, 2012: Announcement: CIF Audio Postcard Series: EmcArts launches Rockefeller Foundation funded project sharing stories from 2011 Cultural Innovation Fund grantees featuring the Hemispheric Institute

EmcArts launches Rockefeller Foundation funded project sharing stories from 2011 Cultural Innovation Fund grantees featuring the Hemispheric Institute

"We’re pleased to announce that the Rockefeller Foundation has provided funding to EmcArts to document the work of 16 New York City cultural institutions ranging from the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) to the Center for Urban Pedagogy as they implement their 2011 Rockefeller Foundation Cultural Innovation Fund (CIF) awards. Each unique organization received a grant of up to $250,000 to develop a project that enriches neighborhoods, ignites communities, inspires with new artistic work, or builds a better future through art and design in New York City.

Kicking off with this series of audio postcards, the partnership provides a unique opportunity to share learning and insights about innovation in the culture sector with other organizations, funders, and the field. There are important new strategies being developed throughout the professional arts and culture field, but too often they remain isolated and not widely known. It is part of EmcArts’ vision to move the dialogue around innovation from the margins to the center of our discourse in the arts.

Over the next four weeks, we’ll be highlighting small groups of projects around four themes: equitable access to cultural offerings, affirming and supporting communities’ expression, better supporting artists and arts organizations, and environmental resilience. Over the next 18 months, stay tuned to ArtsFwd to follow the story of these 16 organization through thematic podcasts and multimedia profiles of CIF grantees and more."