Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to have an Op-Ed article in the Sunday Detroit Free Press. I hope you will all check it out and respond online with your own comments and thoughts.

The piece is ArtServe’s response to the Governor’s State of the State address. It also lays out what we believe are the things we all need to support and invest in as individuals, communities and the state as a whole, if we are to make it through this very tough economic transition and out the other side as a thriving place where people chose to live, work and raise their families. (Read more…)

I hope your holidays were peaceful and rewarding.

Since so many things are happening with ArtServe, I thought I’d start off with a quick organizational update and then a big picture thought for you to ponder. Here are some things going on with us that I hope will be of interest: (Read more…)

First of all, I apologize for the nearly 3-week lapse in talking with you. As most of you know, ArtServe puts on the annual Governor’s Award for Arts & Culture and it is a major undertaking to say the least, so the past few weeks it has been impossible to keep up with the blog. The good news is that the awards gala which was held November 29th at the newly reopened, renovated and reinvented Detroit Institute of Arts was truly a magical and inspiring evening and yet another way for ArtServe to increase the visibility and demonstrate the relevance of Michigan’s arts and cultural sector.

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Like so many weeks over the past 8 months since I took this position, this past week, I was once again struck by the incredible range of home-grown, world-class, authentic, diverse cultural experiences available to us in this great state. Although I am someone who naturally and eagerly seeks out new experiences and learning opportunities …
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Before this week’s post, I want to respond to a few themes in the responses to my last post. First of all, I was delighted to know that so many people share my belief that it is possible and timely to build a Creativity Movement in Michigan. Challenging, yes, but definitely possible. This is incredibly heartening and bodes well for Michigan and all of us who call Michigan home.
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Well, this is my first foray into the blogosphere so I thought I’d share a few thoughts before jumping in. First of all, I want to disclose my bias right up front. I’m a dyed in the wool “glass half full” kind of person – yes, all the obnoxious “lemonade out of lemons”, Pollyannaish stereotypes probably apply.

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