Author: artsrhodeisland

With funding support from our federal partners at the National Endowment for the Arts, RISCA is currently looking to hire a person who can direct planning and communication efforts that support the Rhode Island arts community and the work of the state arts council. 

During the past year and a half, we’ve been traveling the state, listening to the needs of artists and cultural workers, arts organizations and arts educators, as we put together our latest Strategic Plan. Time and again we heard you say we needed to increase the visibility of the arts – and the work of the State Arts Council – in ways that acknowledge the important role art plays in the economic, educational and cultural vitality of our state and its residents. This priority found its way into our Strategic Plan, which was adopted in May of this year. 

When the pandemic struck, Governor Raimondo focused the State’s energy on controlling the spread of the virus. She was also concerned about the social and emotional health and well-being of Rhode Islanders. She came to RISCA to explore ways the arts could be more “present” in people’s lives. The Arts Council undertook a number of initiatives, including #RIArts, an Artist Relief Fund, direct support for artists and arts administrators on how to navigate the crisis, summer programming for kids through a collaboration with the State Department of Education, and other efforts. 

We quickly found that our ability to amplify these programs was hampered by a lack of capacity to plan and implement cohesive communications. This became even more challenging as RISCA staff time was channeled toward direct help to those impacted by the crisis. We circled back to our Strategic Plan, heard what you told us, and knew we needed to take our communications efforts to the next level. 

Part of the Coronavirus Relief Fund earlier this year, championed by our RI Congressional Delegation, included funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. While most of Rhode Island’s portion went to support our nonprofit arts community, funds were also available to create a Senior Administrative Aide position tasked with communications related to COVID relief and agency/community visibility, for use during the crisis and beyond. 

Thirty-nine state arts agencies have a dedicated communications position. We are now recruiting for such a position.  If you have a background in communications and experience in marketing and communication in an arts or arts-related field, consider joining our team.  For information and to apply, go to apply.ri.gov and search for Senior Administrative Aide.  

Randall Rosenbaum
Executive Director
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts

July 27, 2020

Dear Friends:

I wanted to take a moment to briefly update you on a few things regarding RISCA, our current round of grants, and preparations for our October 1 deadline. 

In previous communications we’ve discussed how the state’s financial situation has affected the grant applications we received back in April of this year. To recap, all applications have been reviewed by peer review panelists and have had an initial review by our Council. However, we will not be announcing any grants until after the General Assembly has passed a budget and Governor Raimondo has signed it into law. 

For now, the Governor and General Assembly are waiting until Congress has addressed the very serious challenges – financial and otherwise – facing us through the Coronavirus pandemic. There is some reason to believe that additional resources will be available through the federal government to support Rhode Island, and our state budget will be passed once Washington has finalized a relief package. 

Aside from delaying notification on grants that were scheduled to begin on July 1, what does that mean for us? Currently, Rhode Island has an estimated $400 million deficit going into this fiscal year. A deficit of this magnitude would mean significant cuts across state government, including cuts in support of the arts. Under the circumstances, the appropriate thing for us to do is wait until we know something about our budget before we take any action regarding grants or other financial support to the arts community. 

Typically we would “open up” our next cycle of grant applications on August 1. This would allow artists and arts organizations about two months to prepare and submit their application for RISCA’s October 1 deadline. We have decided not to open this next cycle of grant applications until we know more about our budget. In the event of significant cuts we may be forced to reduce or even eliminate October 1 grant opportunities.  Please know that if funding is available for October 1 grants we may be able to adjust the deadline to provide additional time for applications to be prepared and submitted, depending on when a budget is finalized. 

We don’t anticipate the need to take drastic measures, but we must be prepared nonetheless. For now, please know that we value the contributions that you make to the cultural and economic vitality of our state, and we look forward to continuing to support your work on behalf of all Rhode Islanders. 

Please stay safe and healthy! 

Randy