WESTAF Update Notes #60
February 2010 from Anthony Radich

February 2010

WESTAF Announces Development of an iPhone App for ZAPPlication.org™
WESTAF's development team is currently at work on an iPhone application for ZAPPlication.org™. Among other features, the "app" will allow visitors to art events, such as art festivals, fairs, and shows, to more readily locate artists and types of artwork on event grounds, access the event schedule, link to the Web sites of the event's exhibiting artists, leave comments about the work of exhibiting artists, and send messages to event administrators regarding ways to improve the event. The app will allow WESTAF to remain ahead of the curve in technology development related to the arts and increase the benefits available to users of the ZAPP™ system.

Barry's Blog Now Featuring an Interview With NEA Chair Rocco Landesman
Building on the high volume of interest in Barry Hessenius's multi-week blog forum about the future of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Hessenius recently interviewed NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. The interview now appears on Barry's Blog at http://blog.westaf.org/ and is dated February 9, 2010. Please note that Barry's Blog recently moved to a new, more-advanced platform. If you were a Barry's Blog subscriber, you should have received an e-mail notification in the last few weeks requesting confirmation of your continued subscription on the new blog platform. If you did not receive this confirmation and would like to subscribe to Barry's Blog, please visit http://blog.westaf.org/.

Early Release of Selected Sessions of the 2009 WESTAF Cultural Policy Symposium
Two sessions of the 2009 symposium, Messaging I: Constructing the Argument and Messaging II: Arts and Culture Redefined, are now available in electronic form. The sessions include presentations and discussion about argumentation theory as it relates to the arts, considerations of ways to construct public-sector-focused messaging about the arts, and strategies for making the case for public art funding. Speakers include experts in the fields of communication theory, public policy, advocacy, messaging, economics, and popular culture. Messaging I and Messaging II can be accessed by visiting the Publications & Research page at http://www.westaf.org. Complete electronic and printed proceedings will be published and available this summer. Additional excerpts will be released as they are prepared.

WESTAF Commissions a Music Study in Conjunction with its Creative Vitality Index™
The Western States Arts Federation recently commissioned and completed an in-depth study of music in Denver as part of the Creative Vitality Index™ (CVI™) report prepared for the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs. The objective was to use quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the economic vitality of Denver's music community. Data collected and analyzed for the report included interviews with key figures in the music community and economic data on for- and non-profit music activities. The resulting technical report containing the findings is an example of the kind of supplemental reporting available to agencies and organizations that license the CVI™. The music study report can be viewed by visiting the Publications & Research page at http://www.westaf.org.

Reminder: WESTAF Update Notes To Go Green
We are currently updating WESTAF's mailing list to include your e-mail addresses so that we can comply with requests for the electronic version of Update Notes. If you wish to receive Update Notes in an electronic format instead of receiving the paper publication or if you wish to be added as a new subscriber, please forward your e-mail address to Erin Bassity at erin.bassity@westaf.org. Once the "green" transition is complete, we will continue sending Update Notes via regular mail to those who prefer the paper format.