2023 National Arts Action Summit Update

For more than 30 years, the National Arts Action Summit has welcomed grassroots advocates from across the country to Washington, D.C., to learn from each other and meet with members of Congress about arts and culture legislative issues and impact. The Summit has also been one of Americans for the Arts’ central events.  

During last year’s Strategic Realignment Process, we heard from our stakeholders that advocacy is both one of our key strengths and their top priorities. We also heard that how we do our work is as important as what we do. Based on direct feedback from members and stakeholders like you, we have adopted Equitable Advocacy as the lens through which all our decisions are made. This approach will intentionally create more inclusive, diverse, and accessible practices, relationships, and programming.

As you know, advocacy doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It doesn’t exist only in Washington, D.C. And it isn’t limited to one time of year. Advocacy happens every day, in every community, across this country. And it takes all of us. With this in mind, we are flipping the script on the Summit and instead launching a year-long advocacy program, complete with webinar trainings, D.C.-based Legislative Fly-ins to lobby members of Congress, and Fly-outs for our staff to come to your communities to do advocacy training together throughout the country. 

I’m excited to share this new approach with you and hope this overview provides insight into our arts advocacy plan for 2023. Please explore the Advocacy Plan details below as well as read our FAQs for more information.  

I invite you to take this brief Arts Policy Survey and share your top five federal legislative priorities by February 22, 2023. This will help us focus federal advocacy efforts on the arts policy issues that mean the most to you. I look forward to working together to advocate more strategically for arts and culture at the federal level.  

This program will evolve over the year, and we welcome your input along the way. Please share your questions and feedback with us. You can also contact me directly or Tooshar Swain for federal government affairs issues or Jay Dick for state and local government affairs issues. Thank you for being an advocate for the arts and for your continued support.  

Warmest regards, 

Nolen V. Bivens
President and CEO
Americans for the Arts

Read Our Advocacy Plan:

As part of a year-round advocacy program, we are pleased to work with our members and stakeholders to do the following: 

Expand our Federal State Arts Advocacy Captains program to create a robust Federal District Arts Advocacy Captains program to correspond with key Congressional House districts, representing those members of Congress in important decision-maker roles. We will look first to our local arts agency members to fill these Federal District Captain roles. Americans for the Arts will offer a stipend to each of the captains to acknowledge their time and work on behalf of artists and arts organizations in their state/district. If you are interested in becoming a District Captain, please email Tooshar Swain at [email protected]. 

1. In the first quarter of 2023, Americans for the Arts will convene a national webinar on how to engage with elected officials, what are best practices, an overview of the current federal legislative landscape, and legislative priorities. Following this webinar, we will convene a second national webinar on how to secure congressional earmarks and how to work with your federal legislators to successfully obtain them.  
    
2. In the second quarter, Americans for the Arts will host D.C.-based Legislative Fly-ins for up to 25 advocates and captains to come to Washington, D.C., to lobby their members of Congress on the entire field's behalf. Americans for the Arts will provide specific training and a travel stipend. Additional webinar-based advocacy training will also be conducted nationwide. 
    
3. In the third quarter, Americans for the Arts will conduct Fly-outs, where our staff will work with our local arts agency members, district and state captains, and others to organize larger in-person advocacy training throughout the country in key legislative congressional districts. This will culminate with op-eds in local newspapers and community arts leaders meeting with their members of Congress back home, instead of in Washington, D.C. Additional webinar-based advocacy training will also be conducted nationwide. 
    
4. In the fourth quarter, Americans for the Arts will host another Legislative Fly-in to Washington, D.C., that will specifically focus on the release of the Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 Study. This Fly-in will involve key local and state participants in that study that correspond with targeted federal decision makers. Additional webinar-based advocacy training will also be conducted nationwide.

Take the Americans for the Arts Policy Survey:

To help us prioritize our federal advocacy efforts on arts policy issues that mean the most to you, please complete by February 22, 2023, this brief survey identifying your top five legislative priorities.

Download the 2022 Congressional Arts Handbook

Chapter 1: Listing of 2022 State Captains (pdf)

Chapter 2: Issue Briefs to Congress

• Equity and Access Priorities at the National Arts Action Summit (pdf)
• Boosting the Creative Economy (pdf)
• The National Endowment for the Arts (pdf)
• ​Equitable Access to Elementary and Secondary Arts Education (pdf)
• Institute of Museum & Library Services: Office of Museum Services Funding Request (pdf)

Chapter 3: Facts and Figures (pdf)

Chapter 4: 2022 Letters to Congress from Partners (pdf)

2020 Congressional Arts Handbook

Read the issue briefs to learn about the latest arts issues in Congress and find the research to make your case.

• Browse the 2020 Congressional Arts Handbook

116th Congress Congressional Committee Lists 

Check these lists of key committees to see if your legislators play an important role in arts policy issues.

Find Your State Captain

• Review this list to find the State Captain for your state. State Captains serve as a resource to attendees and lead their state delegations in federal arts advocacy efforts. Be sure to connect with your State Captain to stay involved with arts advocacy efforts at home!

Review Your State Factsheet

• The Arts Action Fund has created a factsheet for each state full of data and examples about why the arts matter in each state. 

2019 National Endowment for the Arts Grants

The following 2019 National Endowment for the Arts grant lists have divided by state and are listed in  U.S. Congressional district order. Grant examples include all of FY2019 grant awards.

Registration Fees

Note: Student registrations must be submitted in paper form.  Valid student ID is required. If registering as a student, you must also create a new Americans for the Arts account online and include the Member ID when faxing or mailing your completed registration form for processing.
Note: Registration fee includes breakfast and lunch on Monday, March 30 and breakfast on Tuesday, March 31. Registration also includes one (1) ticket to the Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts & Public Policy to be held on Monday, March 30 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

How to Register

There are three easy ways to register for the National Arts Action Summit – online, by mail or by fax! Make sure that you register by the Advanced Deadline of March 6, 2020 and lock in your spot!

Registration and Admission Policies

Registration payments made with credit card can be processed online, by mail or by fax. However, payments made by check, purchase order number, or registrations for students can only be processed by mail.  Any registrations postmarked on or after March 7, 2020 will be processed at the Registration Desk at the Marriot Marquis Washington, D.C. and will be charged the Onsite rate. 

Admission Procedures 

You are required to wear your name badge to all conference events and meal functions. Admission will be denied to those without a badge. Replacement badges may be purchased at the Registration Desk for $50.

Advanced Registration Deadline

All advance registration payments must be received by March 6, 2020. Registrations received after this deadline will not be processed in advance. You will be asked to register on site and provide payment at that time.

Student Registrations

Individual full time students are eligible to register at the student rate of $125/$150/$160 (Early-Bird/Advanced/Onsite deadline). Student registrations must be submitted in paper form.  Valid student ID is required. If registering as a student, you must also create a new Americans for the Arts account online and include the Member ID when faxing or mailing your completed registration form for processing.

Payment

Registrations are not considered complete until all fees are paid in full. All payments must be received by March 6, 2020. Registrations received after this date will not be processed in advance and you will be asked to register on site and provide payment at that time. Payment of registrations secured by Purchase Order must be received by March 6, 2020. If payment by purchase order is not received by this date, the attendee will be required to provide a credit card and sign a payment authorization form to guarantee payment at the onsite Registration Desk before receiving credentials.

Confirmation

All attendees will receive confirmation of registration via e-mail. If you have not received a confirmation notice within three weeks of submitting your registration, or if you wish to change your registration information, please contact us by e-mail at [email protected].

Refunds/Cancellation Policy

In order to cancel your registration, and request a refund, please contact Americans for the Arts Meetings and Events staff ([email protected]). Full refunds, minus a $50 administrative fee, will be issued to requests received by March 25, 2020 Americans for the Arts has extended this deadline from March 3, 2020 due to travel and health concerns relating to the Coronavirus. Refund requests received after this deadline may not be considered.

The following committees have jurisdiction over the amount of funding provided to the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities:

• House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior Appropriations
• House Full Appropriations Committee
• Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior Appropriations
• Senate Full Appropriations Committee

The following committees have jurisdiction over the amount of funding provided to the Office of Museum Services, the U.S. Department of Education (arts education programs), Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Corporation for National and Community Service:

• House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education
• Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education

The following committees have jurisdiction over education policy (including arts education programs) at the U.S. Department of Education:

• House Education Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
• Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

The following committees have jurisdiction over all tax policies, including tax policies aimed at increasing giving to charitable organizations:

• House Committee on Ways and Means
• Senate Committee on Finance

The following committees have jurisdiction over the amount of funding provided to the U.S. Department of State, including the Department’s Office of Citizen Exchanges and cultural diplomacy programs:

• House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations
• Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations

The following committees have jurisdiction over all legislative matters relating to regulation of communications issues:

• House Committee on Energy and Commerce
• Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy

After a day of advocacy training at Arts Advocacy Day, thousands more arts advocates joined Arts Advocacy Day attendees, members of Congress, artists, and other dignitaries to attend the 29th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts & Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. Technology executive and STEM to STEAM advocate John Maeda delievered the lecture with an introduction from Oregon Congresswoman Representative Suzanne Bonamici and a special guitar art show from Kaki King.

John Maeda

Robert Lynch

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici

Kaki King

Interviews

John Maeda	Rep. Suzanne Bonamici
Kaki King	Ledisi

Resources

• Facts and Figures
• 2016 Congressional Handbook