News Room
Read the latest arts news
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Serving as a volunteer citizen in his personal capacity, Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch is pleased to join the Biden-Harris transition Arts and Humanities Agency Review Team. Lynch’s work on the transition team will be done apart from his role as president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, which is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. Its sister organization, the Americans for the Arts Action Fund, is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, which supports all pro-arts candidates for political office.
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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 Public Art. Voting closes November 23, 2020 at 1:00 PM ET and is restricted to members of Americans for the Arts at the Colleague level or higher.
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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.
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To keep voters safe during the Coronavirus public health crisis, every state adopted some form of special voting accommodations this year, such as mail-in ballots and expanded early voting. These changes have yielded historically high voter turnout and many states passed legislation to allow for an extended counting period for all properly postmarked and received ballots by each state’s approved deadline. Americans for the Arts Action Fund urges all government officials to honor the United States Constitution that specifically empowers states and the District of Columbia with the authority and procedures to elect the president and vice president.
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Election Day is nearly here, and early voting is happening all over the country! Do you still need to make a plan to vote? Check out the Arts Action Fund ArtsVote campaign for state-by-state fact sheets that will help ensure your voice is heard at the polls! While you're waiting in line to vote, catch up here on blogs and news you might have missed this week, plus check out the upcoming virtual National Arts Marketing Project Conference—registration is open now.
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On Sept. 22, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) banning federal contractors from conducting training “based on race and sex stereotyping,” as well as training that “portrays certain races as oppressors.” Americans for the Arts strongly opposes this EO and has subsequently signed onto two coalition letters that request President Trump rescind the EO.
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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.
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Lots going on this week in and around the Americans for the Arts (virtual) offices! Learn how arts organizations are engaging their communities to get out the vote, and read about several public art projects, opportunities, and recognition on local and national levels.
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Americans for the Arts today announced that New York-based artist Vinnie Bagwell has been awarded the inaugural Jorge and Darlene Pérez Prize in Public Art & Civic Design, a first-of-its-kind national program established by the Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation. The award will include a cash stipend of $30,000, as well as additional support for Bagwell to participate in learning opportunities and discussion about her work with national leaders in the arts and other allied fields. These programs include a virtual panel about art and civic design in celebration of the Public Art Network’s 20th anniversary, held on December 3 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
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Today, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and Americans for the Arts announced the release of the ‘City Song Collection,’ featuring nine songs inspired, composed, and performed by local artists from cities all over the country in a demonstration of healing, unity and city pride. The songs and overall collection showcase how cities are coming together through music in 2020, which has been an unprecedented year for communities across America. The effort comes as America celebrates October’s annual National Arts and Humanities Month. The project features both original compositions and covers of songs from Louisville, Chicago, Reno, Austin, Detroit, Charleston, Oklahoma City, Atlanta, and New Orleans.
