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AES Resource List
Arts Extension Service is dedicated to supporting artists and arts organizations by providing education and information. Find a list below of continuously updated and ongoing resources and opportunities for artists, arts managers, and art instructors.
Board “Goldilocks Syndrome:” Cultivating an Engagement that is Just Right
Sunday, February 25, 2018
by Lisa Barnwell Williams, Instructor for Board Development
Nothing to it: a board is just a few rich people writing checks, right? I hope not! If so, you may be perennially running your organization in second gear: it keeps going, but never really soars. A great board can make all the difference but requires a solid, shared understanding of the board's role and an organization-wide commitment to the dynamic balance of good governance.
AES Receives Five LCC Grants for Western Mass Artist Workshops
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
This winter, AES received grants from the Local Cultural Councils of Amherst, Easthampton, Westfield, and Springfield to bring evening-long Community Engagement for Artists workshops to their communities in the fall of 2018.
Jennifer Chapman: Advancing the Richmond Ballet En Pointe
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
By Serena Wong
Images courtesy of Sarah Ferguson, Richmond Ballet
Jennifer Chapman’s bookshelf is filled with fascinating reads. There are many of significance, but what stands out is Paul Grogan and Tony Proscio’s Comeback Cities: A Blueprint For Urban Neighborhood Revival. It details the recoveries of several impoverished areas in major cities around the country, some of them through the arts alone; this is something that runs somewhat parallel to her career.
Radical Interconnectedness: Linda McInerney and Full Disclosure Festival
Sunday, January 28, 2018
by Serena Wong
Photos by Sophia Carreras
Occurring this past October, Full Disclosure was a weekend-long arts festival consisting of a original dance, theater, sculpture, film, immersive theater, folk opera, music, and spoken word, all centered around the Amherst Common. Interspersed throughout the arts presentations were conversations with thought leaders who study the ways we are connected (physicists, social activists, and others) in hidden nooks and crannies of Downtown Amherst. Spaces ranged from the Amherst Works building, featuring 14th century Sufi music by Falsa with astrophysicist Salman Hameed, to the Bueno Y Sano tunnel. featuring the two-person show Touching Myself. Full Disclosure was produced by Eggtooth Productions in partnership with the Amherst BID.
Internship Profile: Easthampton City Arts' Pasqualina Azzarello and Intern Haley McDevitt
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Most college students know that internships are important career steps that help them gain experience and become more competitive job candidates upon graduation. But, beyond that basic knowledge, many students don’t make time for them in their course schedules. This is unfortunate, because internships can be far more than resume-builders. The right internship can give a student not only important real-world professional skills, but the opportunity to build relationships in their field and community. It can also give them a clearer idea of what type of work they enjoy doing and how they can mold that work into a sustainable, satisfying career.
A Passion for Stories: Writer and UMass Alum Nathan Frontiero
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
While students are often told to study what they are passionate about, they are not always taught how to translate their passions into sustainable careers. Writing is a prime example of this phenomenon. Many people dream about being authors or journalists, yet few are able to center careers on their writing. That being said, it is not impossible. Those who are both dedicated to their craft and knowledgeable about the different practical dimensions of their work can turn their passions into professions. Nathan Frontiero, a recent UMass Amherst on-campus graduate and freelance writer who worked at Take Magazine, exemplifies this fact.