Artists are unemployed at twice the rate of professional workers, a category in which artists are grouped because of their high levels of education.
Unemployment rates for artists have risen more rapidly than for U.S. workers as a whole.
Artist unemployment rates would be even higher if not for the large number of artists leaving the workforce.
Unemployment rose for most types of artist occupations. Artist jobs with higher unemployment rates are performing artists (8.4 percent), fine artists, art directors, and animators (7.1 percent), writers and authors (6.6 percent), and photographers (6.0 percent).
The job market for artists is unlikely to improve until long after the U.S. economy starts to recover.
Brave New Voices premieres on HBO April 15
First of all kudos to Kamilah Forbes, who brings the Hip Hop Theatre Festival to NYC, SF, Chicago, and DC (maybe other places). Kamilah is Co-Executive Producer for Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices, a youth slam poetry series on HBO. “Def Poetry Jam” meets “American Idol”? Check it out.
Is Iowa the new California?
The Iowa Supreme Court this morning upheld a Polk County judge’s 2007 ruling that marriage should not be limited to one man and one woman.DesMoines Register
I think the trees have reached their peak, but there have been lots of tourists walking along the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC for the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Lots of free activities. The parade is tomorrow (Saturday, April 4) along Constitution Avenue. I drove past the Tidal Basin yesterday. But I took a walk past the trees I helped plant in front of a school in my own neighborhood several years ago. The green leaves are starting to sproutm and the wind and rain have been a strain on the petals. Catch them while you can.
Now the questions: “What is good debt? What is bad debt?”
Protests in London during the G20 Summit
Think Buenos Aires, Argentina 2002
Quote of the Day: “My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.” President Obama at the meeting of the Financial CEOs as reported to Politico.
He had previously admitted that 2005 “was the first [year] in my life in which I haven’t written even a line. With my experience, I could write a new novel without any problems, but people would realise my heart wasn’t in it.”
Gabriel Garcia Marquez for the Telegraph UK
I won’t be mad with Gabo if he’s decided to put down his pen. Look at the body of work–not just the honors and prizes–in his 81 years. In 2000 I went to Havana for the film festival anticipating to meet him in person. (He was known to be a regular at the festival.) A group of Mexican women on a BYOT (bring your own tequila) vacation from their husbands told me Gabo wouldn’t make it. He had been ill. They poured me a drink and continued their girls night out on the patio of the Hotel Nacional.
A few years later I met his most recent English translator, Edith Grossman, who wrote the latest translation of “Don Quixote.” I praised her work especially for the translation of Love In the Time of Cholera. I remember enjoying the last pages of that novel with a small box of chocolates.
It was through Marquez’s writings that I came to understand Colombia and “How we got here” long before the here is where we are today. In recent years, I’ve picked up a novel or a book of poems ahead of a history book when I want to understand a country or culture that’s not my own. What do people value? How do people express, live, and love? What are their stories?
No, I won’t be mad if Gabo doesn’t write another novel. There comes a time when a writer needs to spend more time living.
Let your representative(s) know where you stand on the budget that’s coming up for a vote in Congress TODAY! Find them on this link: Contact your representative
For someone like me who grew up in D.C. neighborhoods, Capitol Hill was like another world, an island unto itself. That was called “Washington,” we lived in “D.C.” The feeling from the Hill seemed to be mutual and the divide has widened over the years.
My sister once described official Washington as a college campus: the House of Representatives offices were the underclassmen dorms; the Senate the upperclassman dorms; the Capitol was the student union; there’s the President’s House (obviously); the Library of Congress – well, the library; the departments are…the departments; and folks like me who live here are the townies.
I made a promise to myself to move away from my us vs. them attitude about the Hill and start making nice, making friends, welcoming the Hill to my neighborhood, wear a cardigan like Mr. Rogers. For the past several days, this townie had to storm the Hill on official business. It wasn’t my first trip, but definitely my first with my new attitude. But I couldn’t help but take a few cultural notes while carrying out my official duties:
1. The only newspapers and print media on coffee tables and reception desks were insider-type Hill publications like Congressional Quarterly, Roll Call, Politico, maybe the Washington Post. CSPAN would be playing in the background. I would’ve felt better seeing more hometown newspapers in the Representatives’ reception areas. The display of Hill publications indicates the conversations are going in circles.
2. People are very polite and nice on the Hill. Since I wasn’t there to push policy or ask for money, people seem to be pretty cool. I made sure I didn’t have a coat under my arm.
3. I find it odd that the Representatives look like they go to tanning salons and get facials. Here are 50 – 60 year old men men (in this case) who look more buffed up facially and hair wise than I do. I was wearing make up. The women look rather normal with better suits than I own. I always said Capital Hill and Hollywood shared a mutual culture and envy. The lawmakers envy Hollywood’s celebrity and glamour; Hollywood people envy the lawmaker’s power.
4. Some members and some key staff can be dismissive in a Jane Austin kind of way. There are times, you want to remind some people that they are “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” There are times you feel like Elizabeth Bennett.
5. The Hill has gone green! Recyclable products in the cafeteria and in catering. That’s a good thing.
6. You don’t have to go home again because everything you need is there. There’s really no reason to leave the Hill except to see the sun or your family. You have a bank, post office, gym, food, barber, salon. No book stores or bars. Maybe there is a reason to leave campus.
7. This may be slightly inaccurate, but I’ll say it anyway — the Republicans have more interesting stuff in their offices than the Democrats – at least memorable. Rep. Don Young of Alaska had the pelt of a polar bear on the wall. It’s the first thing you see from a distance as his office faces a hallway. Now we know what AK’s lawmakers really think of polar bears. Another Rep had pictures hanging like tiles all over the office walls even above the doorways. You could spend a good 30 minutes just looking at the pics.
8. Flags are aesthetically pleasing in the Houses of Congress. Every member has up to 3 flags outside their office: the American flag, their state flag, and maybe a MIA Vietnam veterans flag.
9. There’s a strict Capital policeman who gives out tickets for jay-walking. I saw this guy in action. Woof!
A glimpse of my official business: Tuesday, March 24, the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts hosted a panel on New Media at the Dirksen Senate Office Building. On the panel were Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), Mike McCurry former press secretary to President Bill Clinton, Larry Meli of American Life TV Network, and Ben Golant of the FCC. NHFA co-founder and president Felix Sanchez moderated.
Apparently downloading is cutting into profits for media companies like Viacom, Time Warner, and others. Some partnerships have been formed between content providers and platforms like Google to at least provide a customer service on line for downloading content like hulu. But it appears the genie is pretty much out of the bottle. How do you tell people “bad, bad, bad” taking content that’s copywritten and not just free for the taking? Do you slap the cuffs on someone who clicks the download button or has that pirate DVD sitting on the couch?
How do you change a culture that’s now accustomed to convenience and “file sharing”? It seems the answer is to frame it in “What are your kids downloading?” I’m still trying to visualize the downloading audio or video content conversation taking on the same tone as the say “no” to drugs talk. Illegal downloading is computer crack? Will the White House appoint an intellectual property coordinator? Will fines be applied to people who download copywritten content based on their IP address? Are the pirates really operating as gangs and cartels peddling DVDs on the “blackmarket”? What about the artists and royalties? Esai Morales represented the artist (non-techie) perspective. Where are the royalties? Should there be some sort of utility tax? And what about the advertisers who are asking writers to embed product into the script? How are the actors compensated especially if that means no commercial deals. Something’s gotta give.
March 31, Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and ITVS hosted the women of Team Lioness and filmmakers Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers for a special event featuring a clip from the documentary film, LIONESS, and a Q&A. The room was packed. I didn’t get to see anything inside once the program started, but it was special seeing the enthusiasm on the faces of the people when they came out of the room.
It was great meeting the women from the film the night before – the first women combat veterans. We had some beer, wine, and food in a casual meet and greet. On duty were Spc. Shannon Morgan, Spc. Rebecca Nava, Staff Sgt. Ranie Ruthig, Maj. Anastasia Breslow. Policy still dictates that women can’t be assigned to combat duty. In Iraq and Afghanistan it probably can’t be avoided in all circumstances. However, because of the policy, the women’s military records cannot reflect active combat duty. That makes it difficult to get full VA benefits for combat-related ailments and conditions including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Two of the women are still on active duty; two are in civilian life. See the Fox 5 clip. Each woman received a flag from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. These flags flew over the Capitol dome in each Team Lioness woman’s honor before their arrival.
And the trees on the Hill have bloomed. Who’d a thought.