Though I've never been one to read comic books, I enjoy a good superhero film as much as the next girl. This summer has been a big one for heroes: Spiderman, The Avengers and another Batman movie all hit theaters this summer. Probably most anticipated and definitely most appealing to me is the Batman story. In The Dark Knight Rises, we see a broken hero who has assumed the role of villain in order to preserve the image of the hero "Harvey Dent" that Gotham so desperately needed. Maybe my arts advocacy wheels have been turning a bit too hard lately, but when I thought about the blurred line of hero and villain... something came to mind: corporate sponsorship in the arts.

Whenever people see "government" or "politics" in article titles, they tend to either have or prepare for a reaction. With the election just around the corner, more than ever we are focused on what we would like to see improved in our country and on who we think is capable of implementing the change. The election season and discussions I have had with some very engaged arts advocacy friends of mine have caused me to wonder: When it comes to the arts, what is the role of government in the United States? Even more daunting than that question was the realization of my own ignorance - and I know I'm not alone.

"Collaboration is the engine of change." - Philip Glass

Have you ever had one of those months where so many things were going on at once that you feel like you need a repeat button to go back and full appreciate / absorb everything that happened? For me, that kind of month was my time as a member of the Spoleto USA Festival Orchestra this summer in Charleston, SC. Not only did we maintain a full rehearsal schedule (up to 8.5 hours a day and almost 3 performances every week), but we had the opportunity to take advantage of all the other events of the festival such as dance, theater, jazz / bluegrass, chamber music and visual art. Some days I saw three different performances in addition to my own rehearsal schedule - arts mania! With so much going on, the time flew by and the entire experience feels a bit like a whirlwind. One week since the end of the festival, I sit here in peaceful Florida reflecting on all the wonderful performances and people I experienced.

Author: Kerri Anne Malone

The last time you stepped into a public transit station, what have you heard? In my hometown of Elgin, as well as in  Chicago, I can only remember echoed conversations mixed with the sound of trains passing by. However, as an Urban Planning student highly interested in public art activism and cultural programming, I thought I'd share just one way cities are using art to prevent crime in metropolitan areas, and gain any insight into the subject from classical music professionals, admirers, and advocates.

In a recent Chicago Tribune article Howard Reich wrote about the possible closing of Columbia College of Chicago’s Center for Black Music Research.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with CBMR, it is the archive of all things related to black music.  Looking for classical music composed by African