Americans for the Arts is pleased to share an article that was published in National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)’s Fall 2014 issue of "State Legislatures.” In collaboration with Americans for the Arts staff, NSCL featured an article on Arts in Education with a special call-out box for Americans for the Arts. Please click here to read the full article, “Art Smart,” by Sarah Shelton.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Americans for the Arts, the leading organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America, announces its annual National Arts Awards honorees. The awards recognize artists and arts leaders who exhibit exemplary national leadership and whose work demonstrates extraordinary achievement. They are individuals who share a common belief in the power of the arts and arts education to enrich individual lives and communities alike.

This year’s National Arts awards recipients are:

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.

State Superintendent of Education

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!

It's that time again: Americans for the Arts is seeking at least 200 partners to make this Arts and Economic Prosperity Study larger and more comprehensive than ever before--and we invite YOU to be a part of it!

On Wednesday, June 18, Bob Lynch and other members of Americans for the Arts' staff joined The Art Institutes for their Congressional Arts Reception honoring this year's Annual Poster Design Competition winners. This year's winners are Ameila Kohr who will be attending the Art Institue of Las Vegas, Madeleine Brackett who will be attending The New England Institue of Art, and first-place winner Ashley Devaney, who will be attending The Art Insititue of Charleston. 

Americans for the Arts is pleased to announce the 2014 BCA 10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts in America, which recognizes 10 businesses of all sizes for their exceptional involvement with the arts. The awards will be celebrated on October 1, 2014 at a gala presentation and dinner in New York City, which will highlight the ways in which today’s businesses are using the arts to inspire employees, stimulate innovation, and foster creative collaboration all across the country.

Consumers spend nearly $150 billion annually on entertainment and the arts. How does this breakdown to spending on the arts in your individual community?

The Palmetto Bank of South Carolina has completed a $250,000 pledge to the Spartanburg Art Museum to endow its permanent art collection. The gift reflects the Bank’s consistent support of the arts within its local communities and throughout the state. The Palmetto Bank Endowed Permanent Collection is a central aspect of the Museum and features works of Warhol and Rockwell, among other notable American and South Carolinian artists.

With 2013 ending, we at Americans for the Arts find ourselves grateful for so many great arts achievements this year. There are so many partners doing amazing work in towns, cities, and states across the country--and in reflecting on this work, we wanted to especially thank the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and its staff for serving as the national lynchpin for the whole US arts field.

Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, and the National Conference of State Legislatures today announced South Carolina State Senator Robert Wesley (Wes) Hayes as the recipient of the 2013 Public Leadership in the Arts Award for State Arts Leadership, which honors a public official who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advancement of the arts at the state level. Senator Hayes will receive his award today at the National Conference of State Legislatures Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

As independent artists, it's always difficult to find enough funding to keep your work going. For Lisa Blayton, the generous grant she got from the South Carolina Arts Commission and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund was about more than the dollars.

“What was really important was that someone thought my art was special enough to support it,” she said.

In response to the South Carolina General Assembly's decisive action to override Gov. Nikki Haley's line-item veto of funding for the South Carolina Arts Commission, Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, issued the following statement:

"€œBy restoring $1.9 million in state funds to the the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC), the General Assembly has done what Governor Nikki Haley failed to do: uphold the state's long tradition of valuing its artists and arts organizations to enrich the lives of all South Carolinians.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Democratic National Convention Committee Co-Chair and Chairman and CEO of Duke Energy Jim Rogers have been added to the roster of speakers at the Americans for the Arts Action Fund ArtsSpeak event on September 4 at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.