For the first time since 2016, the White House has released a proclamation declaring October as National Arts & Humanities Month. In the proclamation, President Joe Biden cites the economic, health, educational, and community benefits of the arts and humanities.
Americans for the Arts today announced the recipients of this year’s national Arts + Business Partnership Awards, recognizing six U.S. companies, an arts and business partnership, and a business leader for their exceptional commitment to the arts. The awards will be presented by Americans for the Arts on October 15, 2021, at a virtual gala. This year’s honorees include the companies Audible (Newark, NJ); NMG Network (Honolulu, HI); University of Michigan Credit Union (Ann Arbor, MI); Underestimated People of Purpose (UPOP) (Denver, CO); Universal Orlando Resort (Orlando, FL); and Vestar (Phoenix, AZ). These companies have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the arts through grants, local partnerships, volunteer programs, matching gifts, sponsorships, and board membership.
Americans for the Arts today announced its October celebration of National Arts and Humanities Month, a coast-to-coast collective celebration of culture in America. The arts and humanities have played a critically important role during the COVID-19 pandemic and in amplifying the need for racial equity across the country. National Arts and Humanities Month is the time for communities to come together in unified celebration of the power of the arts to make a difference and change our lives for the better.
On Friday, August 13, 2021, U.S. Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA) introduced the Creative Economy Revitalization Act (CERA). The bill authorizes $300 million to mitigate creative worker displacement, stimulate local creative workforce growth, strengthen connections for local creative small businesses and networks, create a pipeline for new creative jobs, enrich communities, increase access to culture, and invest in creative workers and local economies harmed by COVID-19.
Individuals and organizations can use National Arts & Humanities Month as a starting point to advocate for the arts and raise awareness about its role in our communities and lives—not just for the month, but throughout the entire year! Here are a few of the ways you can join Americans for the Arts in celebrating NAHM.
The National Endowment for the Arts has announced two new grant program guidelines to distribute approximately $80 million in American Rescue Plan funds directly to nonprofit arts and culture organizations and to local arts agencies to subgrant deeper into communities across the country. Applicants for this new grant program will not have to be a previous NEA grantee to be eligible to apply.
On May 28, the administration released its fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget request, which calls for the largest requested increase in the history of the National Endowment for the Art (NEA)—a $201 million budget. This is a $33.5 million increase over FY 2021 levels for the NEA!
On May 16, 2021, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) sponsored an important virtual panel discussion about the epidemic of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and the need for allyship. The program was another installment of NJPAC’s Standing in Solidarity, a series of initiatives and events promoting racial equality and social justice. The series was launched in June of 2020 in the wake of the murder of George Floyd to offer greater understanding of current racial disparities, as well as offer a forum for learning about the actions all citizens can take to advance the causes of equality and justice. NJPAC’s Social Justice Planning Task Force recognized that the resurgence of anti-AAPI violence was a critical issue to discuss and there was a dire need to help the broader community understand how they can become allies in the fight against this surging injustice. The panel was convened just as the results of a survey conducted by a new nonprofit found that 80 percent of Asian Americans “don’t feel respected and say they are discriminated against by their fellow Americans.”
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Since 2016, Jeremy Johnson has been executive director of Newark Arts, one of the city’s leading nonprofits. The organization makes grants to neighborhood arts programs, produces the award-winning Newark Arts Festival, and advocates for policies to uplift Newark as a city of the arts. During his tenure, Newark Arts has strengthened the city's cultural profile, including the 2020 ranking of Newark among America's Top 10 Arts-Vibrant Communities by the National Center for Arts Research. Johnson led the creation of Newark’s first community cultural plan, Newark Creates, which resulted in the city-sponsored Creative Catalyst Fund to support area artists impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The National Endowment for the Arts has announced more than $52 million in funding for state and jurisdictional arts agencies and regional arts organizations, the first recommended awards of the American Rescue Plan (ARP). These funds are designed to support the arts sector as it recovers from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Located in Morristown, New Jersey, Morris Arts builds community through the arts via arts in education programs, arts programming in the community, grants, scholarships, advocacy, creative placemaking events, and support for artists and arts organizations. Since 2012, Tom Werder has served as the executive director of the organization, directing and administering all programs, operations, and policies, supervising staff, managing the annual budget, and leading the strategic planning process. “I’ve loved my time at Morris Arts—it’s hardly possible to think that I’m in my ninth year. I think the thing I’m proudest of at Morris Arts has been to expand our presence both in our community as well as in the field. Through the connections gained with my involvement with Americans for the Arts, I’ve worked as a grant evaluator for a number of arts councils across the country as well as participating with a small group of arts leaders in advocacy work in Congress on behalf of the field.”
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Americans for the Arts Interim President and CEO General Nolen Bivens (U.S. Army Ret.) submitted official testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies to support federal funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) at no less than $176 million for FY 2022—at least an $8.5 million increase over FY 2021 funding. This ask matches the most recent highpoint of NEA funding of $176 million in FY 1992.
Americans for the Arts and its partners, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Metro Arts: Nashville Office of Arts and Culture, are excited to announce the 25 interns selected to participate in the 2021 DIAL program, which matches undergraduate students from backgrounds underrepresented in arts leadership with dynamic communities, energetic host arts organizations, and committed mentors during a 10-week summer internship.
In the wake of the shooting in Atlanta that has left eight individuals dead, six of whom were Asian, we are re-sharing an excerpt from a recent issue of our Cultural Equity Weekly News Digest focusing on resources specific to combatting anti-Asian racism.
On Saturday, April 24, Americans for the Arts will celebrate International Sculpture Day, a worldwide event created by the International Sculpture Center (ISC) for anyone with an appreciation or commitment to the field of sculpture and its unique, vital contribution to society. We encourage all our members and followers to take part!
Thanks to the continued commitment from this year’s organizational partners—and in response to the financial challenges that many are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic—opportunities for full registration support to attend the National Arts Action Summit are available for anyone who would otherwise be unable to participate.
Join Americans for the Arts, organizational partners, and hundreds of advocates April 5-9, 2021 for the National Arts Action Summit. For the first time, Americans for the Arts is pleased to offer a number of scholarship opportunities to those interested in attending the virtual summit. Registration and scholarship requests are available beginning Jan. 25, 2021.
Americans for the Arts annually honors the best businesses partnering with the arts in America at the Arts and Business Partnership Awards based on nominations by individuals and organizations. Nominations for this year's awards must be made by February 12, 2021.
In 2020, Americans for the Arts continued its commitment to our vision and planned work, while also pivoting and taking on new, urgent work like so many of our 5,000 member organizations. Here are highlights of some key areas of the new and urgent work of Americans for the Arts in 2020 that are in addition to our planned work portfolio.
Americans for the Arts heartily congratulates President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, as well as all the federal, state, and local elected leaders across the country who won their elections. The historic election saw record-high popular votes electing Joe Biden to become the 46th president of the United States and Kamala Harris, as both the first woman and woman of color, to be elected as vice president.
A new episode of the PBS docuseries “Craft in America” focused on the arts and democracy premiered digitally this week and is available to stream now in advance of the Dec. 11 broadcast premiere. “Craft in America: DEMOCRACY” explores how the interaction between government and the arts inspires our lives, fuels the creative economy, and protects our multicultural heritage.
Join Americans for the Arts and peers in the arts marketing field for the 2020 National Arts Marketing Project Conference, going virtual Dec. 7 and 8. From changes in consumer behavior to addressing bias in your content, from new pricing strategies to targeting audiences and much more, explore with us the road ahead for arts marketing in 2021 and beyond.
Americans for the Arts today announced its October celebration of National Arts and Humanities Month, a coast-to-coast collective celebration of culture in America. In this turbulent year, the arts and humanities have played a critically important role in getting us through the COVID-19 pandemic and in amplifying the need for racial equity across the country. National Arts & Humanities Month is the time for communities to come together in unified celebration of the power of the arts to make a difference and change our lives for the better.
Americans for the Arts, in partnership with over 775 cultural organizations and creative workers, has proposed a 15-action national recovery strategy that the next Administration can use to put creative workers to work—activating the creative economy and drawing upon the creative energies of the country’s 5.1 million creative workers to energize Americans, reimagine how communities can thrive, and improve the lives of all. Organizations and creative workers who wish to endorse this proposal can do so via the Creative Workforce Proposal Endorsement form.
Proclamations are a wonderful way that your mayor, city council, or your city (or county) in general can easily show its support for the arts and culture. Each year, Americans for the Arts encourages advocates to work with their local and state elected officials to issue a proclamation declaring October National Arts & Humanities Month in their city, county, or state. They allow elected officials to easily demonstrate their support for the arts, offer a written document for advocates to use year-round to demonstrate the value of the arts and culture, and serve as a tool to engage other arts advocates in their local communities. For those who have never done this before, I thought that I would offer a how-to guide help you understand the process of obtaining a proclamation.
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Americans for the Arts Action Fund today presented its ArtsVote “Make Your Vote Count” campaign and pledge with artwork designed by renowned contemporary artist and Americans for the Arts Artists Committee member Shepard Fairey, as well as customized voter fact sheets for every state and U.S. territory. The fact sheets provide the latest details and deadlines on vote-by-mail ballots, early voting, and in-person voting. These resources can be found at www.ArtsActionFund.org/ArtsVote.
Registration is now open for the 2020 Annual Convention and Public Art & Civic Design Conference! This newly virtual convening, happening June 23-25 from the comfort of your home, is the chance for arts leaders across the country to gather virtually and better understand the current health crisis, how we are responding to it, and how the arts field can move toward recovery.
Last week, a letter signed by 140 chambers of commerce from 39 states across the country was delivered to Congressional leadership in support of federal relief for the nonprofit arts and cultural community. This letter was generated by a small group of chambers and distributed by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) and Americans for the Arts.
I currently lead the art and technology program at Nokia Bell Labs. We call it Experiments in Art and Technology in honor of the seminal bringing together of engineers and artists in the late 60s and 70s within which Bell Labs played a crucial role. So, in my current role, I am a champion of the arts—especially new media art, art that involves emerging technology, and musical composition and performance. I lead our artistic collaborations and projects and act as a “curator” and “matchmaker” bringing together the very different worlds of art and technology. I believe that the arts could be (should be) more transformational in the way they inform more human-centric design. I believe that the arts should be deeply integrated into all companies but especially technology companies. I believe it is critical that the voice of the artist be heard and taken seriously in the context of business and in understanding the role that technology can play in influencing humanity.
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Americans for the Arts is partnering on a new international study to measure the mental health impact of COVID-19 and social distancing on the American public and is seeking volunteers to participate via online surveys. Everyone age 18 and older is welcome to be part of the study, and participation is fast and simple!
