This week: Like much of the country, we're keeping an eye on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), monitoring responses and preparations, and have gathered information to assist the field. We also announced applications for this year's Arts & Culture Leaders of Color Fellowship, and released a new resource examining cultural equity in the public art field.
This week, we look ahead at education policy trends for 2020—and how the arts intersect with them all! Plus, explore with us the role of State Arts Agencies and our State Arts Action Network in increased cultural funding at the state level. Catch up on all the week's news and analysis in the Weekly Web Roundup.
The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) recently published their FY 2020 State Arts Agency Revenues Report. By any measure, the report paints a very positive picture for state funding of the arts, with year-to-year appropriations increasing by more than 37% to a grand total of almost $495 million in total legislative appropriations. Because the economy is doing well, it stands to reason that SAA appropriations would be higher. While it is true that a strong economy makes increases more likely, a strong economy alone cannot explain this year’s massive increase. There in an interesting equation at work: If your state has a State Arts Agency that is engaged in thoughtful programming, a strong statewide arts advocacy organization, and advocates who are proactively engaged with your state’s existing political leadership, more funding/pro-arts policy are possible!
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Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch released a statement following the release of the Trump administration’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget, which would eliminate funding for the arts.
Americans for the Arts is pleased to offer a number of full ride and partial reimbursement scholarships to members interested in attending the 2020 Annual Convention and Public Art & Civic Design Conference in Washington, D.C. Deadline to apply is February 24, 2020.
The Americans for the Arts Annual Convention is getting BIGGER in 2020—and so is our Public Art programming! The popular Public Art & Civic Design Preconference is transforming into a 2.5-day conference alongside this year’s Annual Convention June 26-28 in Washington, D.C.
The Arts and Business Partnership Awards recognize businesses of all sizes and individual leaders for exceptional involvement with the arts that enriches the workplace, enhances education, and transform communities. Nominations for this year's awards close January 31, 2020.
High school art students are invited to participate in the eleventh year of Vans Custom Culture, a program that provides high school artists and students a platform to embrace and showcase their creative abilities and the chance to win a grand prize of $75,000 for their school’s art program.
Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch released a statement in response to Tuesday’s vote of the U.S. House of Representatives on the FY 2020 spending bills, including five pro-arts appropriation items.
It generally happens like this: The door to our museum opens—and in comes … a former military brat … or spouse … or a veteran with his or her family. Most of the time, they’re from out of town and have been following us on Facebook, planning a trip to our museum when they visit Albuquerque—or they were just driving along Route 66 and happened to see our sign. No matter how they got to the Museum of the American Military Family & Learning Center, their reactions are almost always the same: “I had no idea what to expect…” and then “Oh—this is amazing!” Because people process things differently, we capture military family history in as many formats as possible. The museum is educational, experiential, and interactive. It’s a mixture of practicality and whimsey—take our living room, for example—with its props of starched uniforms on an ironing board complete with iron, starch bottle and laundry basket, its cozy sitting area where we have discussion groups or watch DVDs on TV, or its exhibits, with panels of facts and figures. Visitors become a part of the museum, by simply being there.
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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. During the month-long celebration, Americans for the Arts encourages people to explore new facets of the arts and humanities in their lives.
Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch offered a statement in response to today's Senate’s approval of Mary Anne Carter to chair the National Endowment for the Arts for a four-year term.
So far, 2019 has been a banner year in the world of federal arts advocacy. Throughout the spring, we saw promising bipartisan benchmarks for support of an increased budget for the NEA in FY 2020. However, our work advocating for pro-arts policies doesn’t stop with funding for the NEA. Americans for the Arts, along with national coalition partners, has pursued more federal legislative priorities this year than ever before. From tax policy to transit, healthcare to education, we’re working to ensure expanded arts access and opportunity throughout the country. You can get more information and send a message to your congressional delegation about any of these bills through our Action Center.
The U.S. Congress will take its traditional month-long recess in August. Members of Congress will be in their home states and districts holding town halls, making visits to local organizations and businesses, and taking meetings in their local offices. Wondering how to continue your arts advocacy momentum during the long recess? Participate in the August Arts Advocacy Challenge to stay involved and make an impact.
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Americans for the Arts' new documentary, CAMMO: Healing Through Song, profiles participating members of the Center for American Military Music Opportunities (CAMMO); shows how the arts can strengthen the well-being of service members, veterans, and their families; and features members of Voices of Service, one of many community-based music programs that CAMMO offers.
At the Americans for the Arts’ Annual Convention this past June, quite a few members voiced concern about the upcoming U.S. Census. In many communities, there is worry that an inaccurate count could negatively impact towns, cities, regions, and even states, and disproportionately affect people who are already marginalized. This blog is meant to give information on the Census, its impact, and what arts and culture agencies across the United States are doing to ensure a comprehensive and equitable count. The U.S. Census is a consequential tool for distributing time, attention, and money in all sorts of ways—including ways that are deeply impactful on the arts. It is also an increasingly politicized tool, and as we round the corner into the 2020 U.S. Census, it is important to understand what the U.S. Census is, what it influences, what the implication of certain proposed changes could be both generally and for the arts, and how arts and culture agencies and organizations are mobilizing to ensure a fair, full, and unthreatening U.S. Census count.
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Many people know that March is Women’s History Month, but how many arts organizations succeed in engaging their whole community in the celebration? Every March, two organizations in Albuquerque New Mexico, Harwood Art Center and Littleglobe, do just that.
Americans for the Arts president and CEO Robert L. Lynch issued a statement in response to Elisabeth P. “Betsy” DeVos’s confirmation as U.S. Secretary of Education.
Americans for the Arts president and CEO Robert L. Lynch issued a statement in response to the Trump Administration’s proposed elimination of FY2018 funding to the National Endowment for the Arts.
From December 2 to 8, 2018, the initiative encourages the creative field to join together in communities across the country to promote the sales of the work of local artists, and to promote to all consumers that art—including tickets to events and organization memberships—makes great holiday gifts.
Today, Americans for the Arts unveiled the Arts + Social Impact Explorer, an interactive online tool that draws together more than 1,000 data points on how the arts impact and integrate into 26 different sectors ranging from education and innovation, to health and wellness, immigration, faith and environment. The tool provides quick top-line research, example projects, core research papers, and lists service and partner organizations doing this work, as well as provides printable PDF fact sheets to share with decisionmakers.
Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch released a statement following the release of the Trump Administration’s proposed FY2019 budget.
Americans for the Arts and The United States Conference of Mayors today awarded Santa Fe Mayor Javier M. Gonzales the 2018 National Award for Local Arts Leadership for cities with a population fewer than 100,000.
Americans for the Arts today announced its celebration of National Arts in Education Week. During this week, the field of arts education joins together in communities across the nation to celebrate the transformative power of the arts in education.
Nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Doña Ana County, New Mexico generated over $33 million in economic activity in 2015, according to a new study by Americans for the Arts. This figure includes both direct spending by the arts organizations and event-related spending by audience members. A person who attends a nonprofit arts and cultural event in Doña Ana County spends an average of $28.93 at local hotels, restaurants, and stores.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) released reports with detailed views of IMLS funding for the past six years (FY 2011 through FY 2016) for every state across the nation and the District of Columbia, including total dollars and counts of IMLS grants and awards, as well as amounts of grantee matches or state government maintenance of effort levels.
A new national study by Americans for the Arts finds that the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $166.3 billion in economic activity in 2015—$63.8 billion in spending by arts and cultural organizations and an additional $102.5 billion in event-related spending by their audiences. This activity supported 4.6 million jobs and generated $27.5 billion in government revenue.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi will share her thoughts on the role of the arts in today's political climate in the June 17 keynote plenary session at Americans for the Arts' Annual Convention.
Americans for the Arts president and CEO Robert L. Lynch issued a statement following the signing of the bipartisan agreement.
