Arts Wisconsin sat down with Americans for the Arts Vice President of Research and Policy Randy Cohen recently. Check out their discussion of the current stare of arts and creativity in Wisconsin!
On the heels of Arts Advocacy Day, this year's Nancy Hanks Lecturer - Norman Lear - wrote to The Hill about how the arts can help solve our nations problems, both here at home and abroad. He highlights arts and diversity and the power of art in the face of recent events in North Korea.
On Friday, April 17, Americans for the Arts' CEO and President, Robert Lynch, wrote to the Huffington post about the power of art stories to compell everyone from congressional representatives and senators to everyday citizens to realize the importance of the arts in all of our lives. Nearly 550 advocates on Arts Advocacy Day took their stories to their congressmembers, and Rep. John Lewis told the story of how the arts influenced the Civil Rights Movement to a standing ovation at the Congressional Arts Breakfast.
Americans for the Arts has announced the New Community Visions Initiative, part of the large-scale Transforming America’s Communities Through the Arts, a $10.5 million suite of programs set to generate national dialogue and engage key stakeholders over the next three years. The New Community Visions Initiative will explore the future of local arts in America and the role of community-based arts that enable organizations, funders, cultural institutions, and artists to shape healthier communities over time.
On February 26, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled - in a split (3-2) vote and along party lines - to reclassify broadband as a utility. The action gives the commission more regulatory power over Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
Although reflective of many of the record number of public comments, the ruling has resulted in some members of Congress developing an alternative legislative response.
Americans for the Arts today announced Transforming America’s Communities Through the Arts, a comprehensive, three-year initiative to increase understanding of the value of the arts and investment in the arts.
President Obama made a special televised appearance during the Grammy Awards on February 8. The pre-recorded message was played during the ceremony and called upon artists everywhere to join the fight against sexual abuse and domestic violence.
“Artists have a unique power to change minds and attitudes, to get us thinking and talking about what matters,” said Obama. “All of us in our own lives have the power to set an example.”
Today, the Obama Administration released its FY 2016 budget request to Congress, which includes a proposed $2 million funding increase for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The request also includes substantial tax reform proposals, which could impact charitable giving.
On behalf of our veteran community, Got Your Six united notables from film, military, medical, political, and television communities in an event held at the National Geographic Grosvenor Auditorium in DC on January 30.
On Martin Luther King Day, Floyd Green, Vice President of Community Relations & Urban Marketing at Aetna and member of the Americans for the Arts Board of Directors, received the National Action Network’s Merit Award for his efforts to expand healthy living to all communities
Get the conversation about encouraging creativity and ensuring arts education in your community with a new series of videos by Americans for the Arts. These videos convey the stories behind importance of arts education, as told by children whose lives have been postiviely impacted by the arts.
Last month, First Lady Michelle Obama was recognized by Matthew Lynch, Ed.D. on The Huffington Post Blog for her positively influencing education in 2014.
This morning, Americans for the Arts' and the United States Conference of Mayors presented our three annual awards for public leadership in the arts. Congratulations to The Honorable John Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado, for the State Arts Leadership award; The Honorable Annise Parker, Mayor of Houston, TX, for the Mayors National Award for Local Arts Leadership for cities with a population of 100,000 or more; and The Honorable Donnalee Lozeau, Mayor of Nashua, NH, for the Local Arts Leadership Award for cities with a population of 100,000 or less.
Longtime Arts supporter Stan Rosenberg was sworn in today as the President of the Massachusetts Senate. Americans for the Arts wishes to convey our congratulations to the Senator on this great accomplishment.
He has been a constant supporter of the arts and culture over his decades of service to the people of Massachusetts. One of his greatest legislative accomplishments was the passage of the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund that provides a source of funding to arts organizations for capital projects.
On December 30th, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a final rule that helps help flying musicians and the safety of their instruments. It goes into effect on March 6, 2015.
Around Thanksgiving, there was a flurry of congressional activity to attempt to make several key charitable giving tax provisions permanent and remove them from the cycle of expiration and retroactive reinstatement, including the IRA Charitable Rollover and enhanced deductions for donations of land conservation easements and food inventory. That bipartisan and bicameral work fell apart with a Presidential veto threat, but then on December 11, the U.S.
Congress reached agreement on final funding for most federal agencies and programs for the 2015 fiscal year, which started back in October. The U.S. House passed this mega "cromnibus" by a vote of 219-206 on December 11. The U.S. Senate passed it by a vote of 56-40 on December 13. Included in the agreement is $146 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which continues agency funding at current levels through September 2015. This funding level matches the U.S.
The Innovation Collaborative and its national partners have joined together to create the Innovation Collaborative (IC), a new, national organization networking the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities in education to promote innovation thinking for students of all ages. IC focuses on the dissemination of research and effective practices in the intersections of art and design, science, humanities, and engineering, use of technology, and creativity, cognition, and learning in both Pre-K-12 and informal learning settings.
Ingenuity’s "State of the Arts" progress report shows that Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have increased arts instruction, staffing, partnerships, and funding during the second year of implementing the CPS Arts Education Plan. The CPS Arts Education Plan and the effort to expand instruction in CPS is a leading goal of the Chicago Cultural Plan, issued by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
In October, Americans for the Arts and The Conference Board collaborated on two events focused on how the arts can advance business and community goals. On October 6, Bob Lynch hosted forty corporate leaders from the Corporate Contributions Council I at his home in Washington, D.C. for a dinner and discussion on arts education policy. We shared with them recent work in arts education including the new National Core Arts Standards.
As Congress returned to session following the midterm elections, Americans for the Arts and Americans for the Arts' Action Fund joined more than 1,000 organizations from across the nonprofit sector in sending a letter to all 535 Members of Congress to advocate for permanent enactment of the charitable tax provisions within any year-end tax extenders work.
Groundbreaking television producer, author and social activist Norman Lear will deliver the 28th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on March 23, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. Produced by Americans for the Arts, the Nancy Hanks Lecture provides an opportunity for public discourse at the highest levels on the importance of the arts and culture to our nation’s well-being.
Yesterday, American voters turned out to the polls to vote for federal, state and local candidates and ballot measures. With many headlines focusing on control of the U.S. Senate or trends of state legislature leadership, arts education was central to several races throughout the country.
In the United States, there are 13 states which publicly elect their state education chief. In 2014, seven of the thirteen were up for election. The results are below:
The greatest month of the year is upon us - National Arts & Humanities Month!
Three weeks ago, the Beaumont Independent School District (BISD) realized they must act on their $25m shortfall for next year; their solution was to cut 231 teachers targeting specific genres of educators like the fine arts. This angered groups of students and business owners (from creative industries like tattoo parlor owners), who went to the BISD board and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to protest in support of a TEA takeover of BISD which would have a better solution than targeting the fine arts teachers.
Following passage of legislation sponsored by Congressional Arts Caucus and STEAM Caucus member Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) in 2010, now each September, the country celebrates “Arts in Education Week.” This year during Arts in Education Week, the STEAM Caucus joined forces with the newly-formed Maker Caucus to brief members, staff, and interested organizations on 3D printing—and what’s happening at the intersection of art and technology in schools.
Robert Lynch, CEO and President of Americans for the Arts, and Jane Chu, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, wrote for a special insert on arts education and creative careers to Mediaplanet featured in today's edition of USA TODAY.
WASHINGTON– August 20, 2014 – Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, announced today that ten state teams would join a three-year pilot program to strengthen arts education by advancing state policy. Announced at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ legislative summit in Minneapolis, the ten states entering the pilot program are:
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Americans for the Arts acknowledges with great sadness the loss of former U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont today. He was the co-founder of the Congressional Arts Caucus, Senate Cultural Caucus, and of the Congressional High School Art Competition, a bi-partisan program that celebrates the talents of local high school students in Congressional districts across America.
Today, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee released its draft version of the FY 2015 Interior Appropriations bill which would provide an additional $4 million to both the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Humanities Endowment (NEH)--to $150 million for each agency. This proposed funding is an increase from the House version, which would provide “level” funding of $146 million.
