Please note that USIS assumes no responsibility for the content and availability of the selected sources listed below.
GENERAL RESOURCES
The American Arts Alliance
http://www.artswire.org/~aaa/This consortium of arts institutions is recognized as a principal advocacy organization for the professional arts community. Arts Wire, a national computer-based communications network for the arts community, includes fact sheets on national support of the arts and its economic impact.
American Canvas: An Arts Legacy for Our Communities
http://arts.endow.gov/Community/AmCan/Opening.htmlA 1997 report from the National Endowment for the Arts -- American Canvas -- analyzes and examines the current state of the nonprofit arts in America.
Americans for the Arts
http://www.artsusa.orgFormerly known as the American Council for the Arts, Americans for the Arts is dedicated to advancing the arts and culture in communities across the United States by working with cultural organizations, arts and business leaders and patrons to provide leadership advocacy, visibility, professional development and research, and information.
ARGUS Clearinghouse: Arts & Humanities
http://www.clearinghouse.net/arthum.htmlOne of a series of guides that provides a central access point for value-added topical guides that identify, describe and evaluate Internet-based information.
art.community
http://arts.endow.gov/Contents.htmlFrom the National Endowment for the Arts, this hyperlinked periodical features articles by working artists, news on communities and the arts, links and endowment happenings. Includes an archive of past issues.
Arts & Business Council, Inc./Business Volunteers for the Arts
http://www.artswire.org/arts%26business/mainhome.htmSince 1965, the Arts & Business Council Inc., a national organization based in New York City, has been the leader in helping not-for-profit arts groups form beneficial partnerships with businesses.
ArtsEdge
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/ArtsEdge helps artists, teachers, and students gain access to and/or share information, resources, and ideas that support the arts as a core subject area in the K-12 curriculum.
Belgrad, Daniel. The Culture of Spontaneity: Improvisation and the Arts in Postwar America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998.
Dance Theater Workshop
http://www.dtw.orgDance Theater Workshop is a not-for-profit, community-based organization that provides artist sponsorship programs and production facilities as well as a broad spectrum of administrative, promotional and technical services. . . . The organization supports the work of dance, theater, music, visual and video artists, and is active in the international arts community as well.
Dickstein, Morris. Gates of Eden: American Culture in the Sixties. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997.
Dickstein, Morris, ed. The Revival of Pragmatism: New Essays on Social Thought, Law, and Culture.
Emerson, Ken. Doo-Dah! Stephen Foster and the Rise of American Popular Culture. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997.
Kazin, Alfred. God and the American Writer. New York: Knopf, 1997.
The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
http://www.nasaa-arts.org/The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) is the membership organization of the nation's 50 state and six jurisdictional arts agencies. Emphasis is given to developing programs that reach rural and underserved populations, providing alternatives for at-risk youth, acting as catalysts for economic development, and offering innovative approaches to arts education.
National Endowment for the Arts
http://arts.endow.govThe NEA's mission is to foster the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in the United States, and to broaden public access to the arts. In addition to detailed information on grants and regulations, the site provides information about international activities, showcases U.S. arts abroad, and provides contact information and links to arts service organizations, state arts agencies, and regional arts organizations.
Smithsonian Insitution
http://www.si.edu/newstart.htmThe Smithsonian is composed of sixteen museums and galleries and the National Zoo and numerous research facilities in the United States and abroad. Links to the National Museum of American Art, the Renwick Gallery, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum are contained on this site, as well as links to research centers such as the Archives of American Art and the Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies.
World Wide Arts Resources
http://wwar.com/A large, comprehensive gateway to the arts on the Internet with detailed sections on the visual arts, including indexes to artists, galleries, museums, publications, arts agencies and schools. Film, literature, theater, and dance links are provided as well.
World Arts: A Guide to International Exchange
http://arts.endow.gov/Resource/WorldArts/Contents.htmlProduced by the National Endowment for the Arts, this guide describes NEA's International Program and how it complements the work of other federal, state and local government agencies to promote arts exchange. It also provides comprehensive information about international arts exchange programs.
FILM
AFI Online
http://www.afionline.org/The American Film Institute's comprehensive site provides information on news, screenings (both real and virtual), festivals, preservation, education, awards and other resources.
See especially CineMedia ( http://www.afionline.org/CineMedia/), an Internet film and media directory that features over 18,000 links.
Giannetti, Louis and Eyman, Scott. Flashback: A Brief History of Film. 3d ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996.
Halliwell, Leslie. Halliwell's Film Guide and Video Guide, 1998. Rev. ed. New York: HarperPerennial, 1998.
Revised edition edited by John Walker.
Independent Feature Project
http://www.ifp.orgA nonprofit membership organization of independent filmmakers, IFP educates and assists independent filmmakers in the development, production, marketing and distribution of their projects. The site provides information on the Gotham Awards, the film market, upcoming events, and Web sites of interest to independent film fans.
Independent Film and Web Producers Site
http://www.pbs.org/independents/On June 1, 1998, PBS Online launches an exhaustive Web resource devoted to independent filmmakers, producers and Web site producers. Seeking to highlight the work of independent artists, PBS will showcase at least one independent film production on the site each month . . . . Finally, there will be a host of other electronic resources, including numerous links to other independent film organizations and festivals.
The Internet Movie Database
http://www.imdb.com/The largest searchable database of movie titles on the Web, currently covering over 140,000 movies with over 2 million filmography entries, aiming to capture any and all information associated with movies from across the world. . . .
Katz, Ephraim et al. The Film Encyclopedia. 3d rev. ed. New York: HarperPerennial Library, 1998.
Sarris, Andrew. You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet: The American Talking Film, History and Memory, 1927-1949. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
The Sundance Institute
http://www.sundance.org/The Sundance Institute was created in 1981 by Robert Redford in order to support independent filmmaking. It is dedicated to the support and development of emerging screenwriters and directors of vision, and to the national and international exhibition of new, independent dramatic and documentary films.
An archive of Sundance Festival films ( http://www.sundance.org/festival.html) is also available.
MUSIC
Aaron Jay Kernis Wins 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Music, News Release, April 27, 1998. G. Schirmer, Inc. and Associated Music Publishers, Inc.
( http://www.schirmer.com/news/kernis/pulitzer.html
ASCAP's Guide to Resources in the Music Business
http://www.ascap.com/resource/resource-1.htmlThe American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is a membership association of composers, songwriters, lyricists and music publishers, which protects the rights of its members by licensing and paying royalties. . . . The Resource Guide includes links to reference books, newsletters and organizations related to music business issues. A searchable database with information on all compositions in the ASCAP repertory called ACE on the Web
( http://www.ascap.com/ace/ACE.html) is also available.
Berklee College of Music
http://www.berklee.edu/Founded in 1945, the Berklee College of Music is a large independent music college, which specializes in the study of contemporary music. A brief biography of Gary Burton, Berklee's Executive Vice President
( http://www.berklee.edu/html/ab_exec.html#burton) is included.
bmi.com songwriter's toolbox
http://www.bmi.com/toolbox/Broadcast Music Inc., a not-for-profit organization representing composers and music publishers, collects and distributes royalties. The toolbox provides information for songwriters about performing rights, music publishing, copyright and the business of songwriting. The site also includes a searchable database of song titles licensed by BMI.
The Classical Hotsheet
http://www.sirius.com/~arts/links.htmlThese selected links from classical music resources on the Web cover composers, musicians, vocalists, conductors, orchestras and other groups, instruments, opera, academic programs and masterworks of all periods. Audio files in MIDI formats are also available.
Duckworth, William. Talking Music: Conversations with John Cage, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, and Five Generations of American Experimental Composers.
Feather, Leonard. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Rev. and enl. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. (Forthcoming)
Festival Finder
http://www.festivalfinder.com/Provides details on more than 1,300 music festivals in North America, including the annual Bang on a Can ( http://www.festivalfinder.com/cgi-bin/viewer?555) music festival in New York.
Gary Burton Discography
http://www.mediapolis.com/ecm/artists/440.html
Gann, Kyle. American Music in the Twentieth Century. New York: Schirmer Books, 1997.
Hitchcock, H. Wiley and Sadie, Stanley, eds. The New Grove Dictionary of American Music. 4 vols. New York: Grove's Dictionaries of Music, 1986. (Reprinted 1992)
Jackson, John A. American Bandstand: Dick Clark and the Making of a Rock n Roll Empire. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
JCS: The History of Jazz
http://www.jazzcentralstation.com/jcs/station/newsstan/history/in dex.htmlAuthor Dan Morgenstern, a professor and former editor-in-chief of Downbeat and Metronome magazines, wrote this electronic text. It begins with The Jazz Story, An Outline History of Jazz, which provides an overview, followed by The Roots, Birth of the Blues, Brass Bands and Ragtime, The Coming of Swing and so forth. Recommended recordings and books.
John Adams: American of Our Time.
http://www.azstarnet.com/public/packages/reelbook/153-3982.htmProfile of John Adams from The Timid Soul's Guide to Classical Music.
Kernfeld, Barry, ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1988. (Reprinted 1994)
Musical America: International Directory of the Performing Arts, 1998. New York: K-III Directory, 1998.
National Symphony Orchestra
http://www.kennedy-center.org/nso/Based at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the orchestra features standard and 20th-century orchestral and operatic repertories with generous representation of American music. A biographical sketch of conductor Leonard Slatkin is included. ( http://www.kennedy-center.org/nso/slatkin.html
OPERA America
http://www.operaam.org/OPERA America serves and strengthens the field of opera by providing a variety of informational, technical, and administrative resources to the greater opera community.
Rich, Alan. American Pioneers: Ives to Cage and Beyond. London: Phaidon, 1995.
San Francisco Symphony
http://www.sfsymphony.org/This site highlights the artistic, community and organizational goals of the San Francisco Symphony. Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas is profiled.
http://www.sfsymphony.org/hframestaff.htm).
Schwarz, K. Robert. Minimalists. London: Phaidon, 1996.
Slonimsky, Nicolas. Music Since 1900. 5th ed. New York: Macmillan, 1994.
Thomas, Michael Tilson. Viva Voce: Conversations with Edward Seckerson. London: Faber and Faber, 1994.
Tommasini, Anthony. Virgil Thomson: Composer on the Aisle. New York: Norton, 1997.
Williams, Martin. The Jazz Tradition. 2d rev. ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
A Winning Composer.
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/jan-june98/kernis_4- 22.htmlA conversation with composer Aaron Jay Kernis. Transcript, April 22, 1998.
MUSIC/AUDIO SITES
All of the sites below contain audio files. Most also provide access to software necessary to listen to the files on a computer.
Biograph
http://www.biograph.com/A renowned label for classic American jazz, ragtime, blues and period recordings.
Blue Note Jukebox
http://www.bluenote.com/jukebox.htmlThe Blue Note Jukebox uses RealAudio Streaming Technology and Xing Technologies' StreamWorks Server. It provides REAL-TIME audio of some of the world's greatest jazz music.
CDnow
http://www.cdnow.comA major commercial site that sells an extraordinary variety of music via the Internet. The site features a variety of special collections. For instance, June readers can examine a special feature offering both music and film (on video) of Frank Sinatra. Also provides audio clips from a number of albums.
Decca-Nashville
http://www.decca-nashville.com/Decca-Nashville is a good source for country and western music.
Polygram
http://www.polygram.com/A rich and varied site featuring a variety of U.S. and international labels with jazz, classical and various alternative sounds.
Telarc International
http://www.telarc.com/Telarc International is a Grammy award-winning independent record label based in Cleveland, Ohio. Our catalog includes classical, crossover, jazz and blues releases, which you can sample on this site. We offer over 6,000 Real Audio clips, each of which you can listen to in a continuous stream.
THEATER
Bordman, Gerald M. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2d ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
East West Players
http://www.eastwestplayers.com/The East West Players, which recently opened a new theater in Los Angeles, is the nation's first and foremost Asia Pacific American Theater.
Mamet, David. 3 Uses of the Knife: On the Nature and Purpose of Drama. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998.
Secrest, Meryle. Stephen Sondheim: A Life. New York: Knopf, 1998/
theatre-link.com
http://www.theatre-link.com/Formerly called Scott's Theatre Links, this site is organized around the following topics: Academic Programs, Broadway and West End, Casting and Contract Services, Goods and Services, News and Information, Shakespeare, Shows and Performances, Theaters and Venues, Groups and Organizations, and other theater-related resources.
Theatre Communications Group (TCG)
http://www.tcg.orgSince 1961 TCG, the national organization for American theater, has provided a national forum and communications network for all the companies and individual artists that comprise our national theater. TCG's chief programs include grants, fellowships and awards to theater artists and institutions; conferences, workshops and roundtables; government affairs; surveys and research; a national arts employment bulletin; and publications, such as the annual Theatre Directory.
Wilmeth, Don B. and Bigsbey, Christopher, eds. Cambridge History of the American Theatre: Beginnings to 1870. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998. This is the first volume of a planned three-volume set.
Wilmeth, Don B. and Miller, Tice L., eds. Cambridge Guide to American Theatre. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993. (Reprinted in 1996.)
DANCE
Acocella, Joan Ross. Mark Morris. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1993.
Anderson, Jack. Art Without Boundaries: The World of Modern Dance. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1997.
Carr, C. On Edge: Performance at the End of the Twentieth Century. Hanover, NH: Wesleyan Univesity Press, 1993.
Dance Resources at World Wide Arts Resources
http://wwar.com/dance/index.htmlFrom academic resources to therapy resources, this comprehensive site includes thousands of dance related resources.
Dance/USA
http://www.danceusa.org/This national service organization for not-for-profit professional dance seeks to advance the art form of dance by addressing the needs, concerns, and interests of professional dance.
DeMille, Agnes. Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham. New York: Random House, 1991.
Dunning, Jennifer. Alvin Ailey: A Life in Dance. Reading, MA: Addison- Wesley, 1996.
Easton, Carol. No Intermissions: The Life of Agnes de Mille. Boston: Little, Brown, 1996.
Graham, Martha. Blood Memory. New York: Doubleday, 1991.
Jones, Bill T. Last Night on Earth. New York: Pantheon Books, 1995.
Mark Morris Dance Group
http://www.mmdg.org/The latest touring schedule, news and booking information about the Mark Morris Dance Group are highlighted here.
Vaughan, David. Merce Cunningham: Fifty Years. New York: Aperture, 1996.
VISUAL ARTS
Alternating Currents: American Art in the Age of Technology
http://www.sjmusart.org/AlternatingCurrents/A joint production of the San Jose Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, this site examines the interplay of technological advances and American art over the past 30 years.
American Art Directory, 1997-98. New York: Bowker, 1997.
Art in Context: Elizabeth Murray
http://www.artincontext.com/listings/pages/artist/0/2kkq5x00/menu .htmProvides information on galleries, dealers, museums and recent exhibits. A biographical sketch on this artist and an exhibition schedule are available on the PaceWildenstein gallery site. ( http://www.pacewildenstein.com/murray).
Art Museum Network -- Index
http://www.excalendar.net/amn/amn.home.aspIncludes exCalendar.net ( http://www.excalendar.net/), the official exhibition calendar of some of the world's leading museums; AMICO.net
( http://www.amico.net/), the Web site of the Art Museum Image Consortium; and the Association of Art Museum Directors ( http://www.aamd.net/) site.
Danto, Arthur Coleman. Embodied Meanings: Critical Essays and Aesthetic Meditations. New York: Noonday Press, 1995.
Felshin, Nina, ed. But Is It Art? The Spirit of Art as Activism. Seattle: Bay Press, 1995.
Fineberg, Jonathan D. Art Since 1940: Strategies of Being. New York: Abrams, 1995.
Gaze, Delia, ed. Dictionary of Women Artists. 2 vols. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997.
Guggenheim Museum
http://www.guggenheim.org/This site encompasses the activities of the four affiliated museums that make the Guggenheim a truly international institution, including the new Guggenheim Museum Bilbao ( http://www.guggenheim.org/bilbao.html
Heartney, Eleanor. Critical Condition: American Culture at the Crossroads. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Hughes, Robert. American Visions: The Epic History of Art in America. New York: Knopf, 1997.
Los Angeles Times Special Report: The Getty Center
http://www.latimes.com/HOME/ENT/ART/GETTY/contents.htmA series of over 30 articles tracing the evolution, development and completion of the new Getty Center.
Museums Index -- USA
http://wwar.com/museums/index.htmlPart of the World Wide Arts Resources site, the USA Museums Index contains links to numerous online museums. It is searchable by region, type of collection, and keyword.
Sandler, Irving. Art of the Postmodern Era: From the Late 1960s to the Early 1990s. New York: Harpercollins, 1996
Whitney Museum of American Art
http://www.echonyc.com/~whitney/See especially the art on the web page
( http://www.echonyc.com/~whitney/weblinks/main.html), which offers a link to other museum sites, where some of the most interesting online delivery of museum content is occurring.
U.S. Society &
Values
USIA Electronic Journal, Vol. 3, No. 1, June 1998