Two articles from the Community Arts Network by New Village author Arlene Goldbard explore the rich possibilities of stimulus money allocation to the arts community, making a strong argument for how it will help bolster cultural democracy and community cultural development:

The New New Deal 2009: Public Service Jobs for Artists?
The New New Deal, Part 2 – A New WPA for Artists: How and Why

As approved by both houses of Congress on February 13th, $50 million of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan bill will be allocated to the National Endowment for the Arts. This money will be distributed to local arts programs throughout the country via grants, providing much needed immediate funding. But looking to dire economic situations of our Country’s past, these circumstances and finances could also be used to create and fund new programs – at the federal level. (more…)

An interactive new sound sculpture Spiraling Echoes by sound art pioneer Bill Fontana has been installed in the San Francisco City Hall Rotunda.

“Spiraling Echoes engages highly specialized sound equipment mounted inside the Rotunda that will transmit historic and contemporary sounds of San Francisco in ultrasonic beams as narrow as a thread. As you walk through the Rotunda’s main and upper walkways, your path will create a sound composition unique to you.”* (more…)