This week the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival lineup was announced and we were thrilled to see some familiar faces! Once again, several artists who’ve graced Levitt stages—including Tank & the Bangas, The Buttertones, The Regrettes, Kamasi Washington and The Delirians—will be flocking to Indio, Calif. this spring to perform alongside rising stars and musical giants at Coachella. Continue reading
Last month, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) released Rural Arts, Design and Innovation in America: Research Findings from the Rural Establishment Innovation Survey. The report pulls compelling findings from data captured in the 2014 Rural Establishment Innovation Survey (REIS)—illustrating the economic impact of the arts in rural communities by identifying key patterns and relationships among arts organizations, design-integrated firms and business innovators in rural settings. We enjoyed this report so much, we created the infographic above to highlight a few of our favorite findings. Click here for the NEA’s full list of takeaways and here to read the full report. Continue reading
Brooks Museum’s Light Festival finale at Levitt Shell in Memphis.
Happy December, Levitteers!
It’s Friday afternoon AND it’s the first day of the twinkliest month of all—what’s not to celebrate? Whatever types of festive gatherings this month holds for you, your friends and family, we hope you find some calm during this busy season and remember to soak up every twinkly wonder surrounding you.
Thank you for building
community through music.
Warm wishes for a happy holiday!
Across the country, people are getting ready to pack their suitcases and hop on a plane, train or automobile to spend time with friends and family and enjoy a holiday meal with one another. Levitt Foundation Executive Director Sharon Yazowski has beat the Thanksgiving travel rush and is already on the road to Grand Rapids, Mich., where she’ll present takeaways from Levitt’s recently published white paper tomorrow at the 2017 ARNOVA conference—a convening of scholars, teachers, and practitioners from across the country who’re interested in research on nonprofit organizations, philanthropy and civil society. Continue reading
Levitt Foundation Executive Director Sharon Yazowski presenting at the 2017 Grantmakers in the Arts Conference.
Yesterday, Levitt Foundation Executive Director Sharon Yazowski was out in the field with Slover Linett Audience Research President Sarah Lee, presenting an interactive session at the 2017 Grantmakers Makers in the Arts Conference in Detroit. Together they demystified the process of impact assessment, sharing experiences from Levitt’s own journey into the creation of a multi-year impact study with Slover Linett and giving professionals in the grantmaking community the tools and knowledge they need to embark on their own assessment journeys.
Inspired by yesterday afternoon’s presentation, today we’re releasing the fourth installment of our “Research Recap” blog series, featuring posts that highlight a particular finding from our recently published impact study. With tomorrow being Halloween—an evening where costume-clad celebrators take over sidewalks (some of the most common public spaces out there)—we’re focusing on the value of spaces where people of all ages can move around freely.
Pictured above: Levitt’s Sharon Yazowski and Vanessa Silberman with Matt Kowal and Lisa Gedgaudas of Denver Arts and Venues in front of the Stax Museum of American Soul in Memphis, Tenn.
Today, Executive Director Sharon Yazowski and Senior Director of Communications & Strategic Initiatives Vanessa Silberman are representing the Levitt Foundation at the 2017 Music Cities Convention in Memphis, Tenn. (one of our nation’s great ‘music cities’!). They’ll be joined by local Levitt Shell Executive Director Anne Pitts and Levitt Pavilion Denver Executive Director Chris Zacher—who’ll be presenting at the conference. Continue reading
Sounds, colors and people fill a Levitt lawn, infusing a palpable energy into an underused public space. More and more, public art—whether it’s a temporary installation, a permanent mural, or an interactive sculpture, to name a few—is becoming part of the Levitt experience across the country. Below are some of the exciting ways Levitt communities have embraced the multidimensional power of the arts in public spaces. Continue reading
Think back to a formative memory. Do you envision a full event from start to finish, or a few meaningful moments? Chances are, there are particular moments that stick with you over time, as explained in the newly-released book The Power of Moments, by Stanford Business School professor Chip Heath and his brother, Dan Heath, senior fellow at Duke University’s CASE Center. Last month, a couple of us had the opportunity to hear Dan deliver a stirring keynote at the annual Communications Network Conference in Miami—where among other things, he discussed what makes a moment memorable. Continue reading
