The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. - Douglas MacArthur

Americans for the Arts wants you to elect art professionals from the field to serve on one of four network advisory councils: Arts Education, Emerging Leaders, Private Sector, and

Americans for the Arts invites all Americans to celebrate October as National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM). Towns and communities across the country are hosting special events that capture the spirit that the arts and humanities bring to everyday life. 

Earlier this month, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announced that the city’s first Civic Poet will be Claudia Castro Luna. The new Civic Poet position will serve as “an ambassador for Seattle’s rich literary landscape and represents the city’s diverse cultural community.” The Civic Poet program will be administered by the city’s Office of Arts & Culture.

On March 18, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee held its Public and Outside Witness hearing to receive testimony on programs funded by the subcommittee, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

Americans for the Arts has announced the recipients of the 2015 Americans for the Arts Annual Leadership Awards. Presented each year, these awards recognize the achievements of individuals and organizations committed to enriching community through the arts. 

After 3 days of considering bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and nearly 60 amendments, the Senate HELP Committee advanced the legislation, enabling it to be next considered on the Senate floor under an open amendment process. Floor action is now expected before the end of May.

On April 7^th, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) released their long-awaited bipartisan draft bill to reauthorize the long-expired Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The title of the new bill is Every Child Achieves Act. The Senate education committee began consideration of the draft bill on April 14^th with nearly 90 amendments filed.

In this month’s Smithsonian.com magazine you will find their top picks for amazing small towns across the United States. These towns all have populations under 20,000, and were selected because of their number of cultural and historic attractions, food and drink destinations, and nature opportunities. The article states: “Think of this list not as a ranking but as a menu, with something for every taste—whether it’s country bluegrass, Florida’s white beaches, or Alaska’s blue mountains.”

KRIS Wine and Americans for the Arts are proud to announce that Pete Beeman, creator of the Hampline Exploration Stations in Memphis, Tennessee, is the grand prize winner of the KRIS Wine “Art of Giving” contest.

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. 

In September, we held a call for nominations for our Network Councils. Now it's time for you, our members, to cast your vote to determine which nominees will be elected to the following four Americans for the Arts' Network Councils.

The greatest month of the year is upon us - National Arts & Humanities Month!

On Wednesday, May 28^th, our President and CEO Bob Lynch keynoted the ArtsFund Annual Celebration of the Arts Luncheon in Seattle, Washington. He spoke about the state of the arts in the United States and their value to the country and to the Puget Sound region.

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 Congressional Arts Caucus, co-led by Reps. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Leonard Lance (R-NJ),  is one of the largest and most active on Capitol Hill, and is central to supporting the arts and arts education in the U.S. House of Representatives. Recently, 10 new members of Congress have signed up!

Betting on the Super Bowl nothing is new. You may even be involved in a pool in your workplace or among friends. But stakes have reached a new all-time high in the world of fine arts with a friendly wager between the Seattle Art Museum and the Denver Art Museum. Both institutions have put up priceless works of art—not to keep, but rather to be exhibited in the home of the losing team as a constant reminder that a Super Bowl win is not only a victory in the name of football, but a victory for the whole community.

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.

Since spring 2006, The National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation have been partnering with U.S. state arts agencies to support Poetry Out Loud, “a contest that encourages the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation.” Participating students recite a poem of their choice, using materials that schools receive by partnering with their state arts agency.

Now that it's back-to-school time and upcoming National Arts Education Week is right around the corner (September 14 - 18), WorldWideLearn's May article on the 15 most inspiring cities for young arts professionals and arts students piques our interest yet again.

Americans for the Arts, in conjunction with the Congressional Arts Caucus and 86 national co-sponsors, celebrates Arts Advocacy Day 2010 today. More than 500 arts advocates from across the country are meeting with their representatives on Capitol Hill, calling on Congress to support arts-friendly legislation and policies. A highlight of the day is a congressional hearing entitled “Arts Build Communities” hosted by Rep. James P. Moran (D-VA), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior. Advocacy has been at the core of Americans for the Arts’ history and is one of the many milestones being celebrated during the organization’s 50th anniversary year. Arts Advocacy Day 2010 brings together a broad cross section of America’s cultural and civic organizations, along with hundreds of grassroots arts activists.

The grand prize winners of The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts Poster Design Competition 2012 are traveling to Washington, D.C. to accept their scholarship awards at a Congressional Reception on Capitol Hill. Joshua Allred of Rathdrum, Idaho is grand prize winner in the high school senior category of the competition.

Budget cuts nationwide continue to deplete school funding for quality arts education. Nearly 4 million elementary school students do not receive specific instruction in the visual arts, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics and the Office of Innovation and Improvement.

Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, in conjunction with The United States Conference of Mayors, will present the 2013 National Award for Congressional Arts Leadership to Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA).

Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, today announced those companies selected by the Business Committee for the Arts (BCA), a division of Americans for the Arts, as The BCA 10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts in America for 2013. In addition, Michael B. McCallister, chairman of the Board of Humana Inc. (Louisville, KY) will receive the 2013 BCA Leadership Award, and Northwestern Mutual (Milwaukee, WI) will be inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame. The BCA 10 Awards, BCA Leadership Award and BCA Hall of Fame will be presented by Americans for the Arts on October 2, 2013, at a black-tie gala at the Central Park Boathouse in New York City.

Brunswick Acres Elementary School in Kendall Park, NJ was very dedicated to winning the third annual "€œArt of Education"€ contest sponsored by KRIS Wine and Americans for the Arts.