This week saw the release of the Trump administration's FY21 budget, with its repeated proposal to eliminate our nation's cultural agencies, and our pledge to continue to advocate for increases to federal arts funding. We're also looking ahead at 2020 trends we think will impact the arts, and celebrating a big win in arts funding at the state level. Read on for more news of the week!

ARTSblog

How Artists and Presenters Do Anti-Oppression Work — Part 1 and Part 2 by Kyoung H. Park
What does it mean to do anti-oppression work? How do we decolonize oppressive structures to promote racial equity, liberation, and peace? These were the questions we explored at the Association of Performing Arts Professionals Conference APAP2020, in a session titled “How Artists and Presenters Do Anti-Oppression Work.” This practical workshop for artists, presenters, and the curious was designed to center the experiences of artists and arts organizations of color to provide anti-oppression tools and strategies for participants to do “the work.”

Record State Investment in the Arts! by Jay Dick
I was very happy to see the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) report on the status of state support for the arts and culture, specifically the amount of funds each state’s governor and legislature is providing to their state arts agency (SAA). According to the report, the 50 states and 6 territories appropriated almost $495 million for SAAs in FY2020. Total state appropriations increased by $134 million from FY 2019 to FY2020, a 37 percent year to year increase.

Ten 2020 Trends That Will Impact the Arts by Clay Lord
As we turned the corner into 2020, the Americans for the Arts staff put our heads together to come up with 10 big trends that we think are worth paying attention to this year. Some of them you’ll surely already know about—it is an election year, after all! But others may surprise you. Take a read and let us know what you think—what resonates most with you? What is top of your mind that is missing here? And what are you planning to do to prepare?

News Room

Americans for the Arts Issues Statement in Response to Trump Administration’s Proposed FY 2021 Budget
“For the fourth-straight year, the Trump administration has proposed to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Clearly, both chambers of Congress have consistently rejected this unilateral effort on the administration’s part. Americans for the Arts will again work with Congress to not only reject this misdirected budget request, but further increase funding for these important cultural agencies.”

St. Pete lawmakers push bills to boost arts in Florida schools
New legislation calls for creation of the Florida Seal of Fine Arts Program. The seal would be awarded to those who graduate from high school having completed at least four year-long courses in dance, music, theater or the visual arts with a grade of B or higher; participated in at least two fine arts-related extracurricular activities; and logged at least 20 hours of community service related to the arts, making a presentation on their experiences.

The Lewis Prize Awards $1.75 Million for Music Education
The Lewis Prize for Music, a new philanthropic organization focused on fostering music education and career development in young people, announced its first slate of winners on Tuesday. The $1.75 million will be awarded to the leaders of nine organizations in eight states. The prize is split into three categories and includes both long-term and single-year support.