Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America, invites all Americans to celebrate October as National Arts and Humanities Month. The month-long celebration is the country’s largest collective celebration of arts and culture. 

 

“National Arts and Humanities Month is a time to reflect on the many ways the arts and humanities have contributed to our cultural and community landscapes, allowing us to explore ideas, express emotions, and better appreciate cultures from around the world,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. 

 

Americans for the Arts’ #ShowYourArt social media campaign is designed to highlight personal stories and engage arts advocates on local, state, and national levels. This year, the campaign will feature a unique theme every day in October, and individuals and organizations are encouraged to share images on Instagram (tagging @americans4arts with #showyourart). Americans for the Arts will repost favorite images throughout the month.

 

Americans for the Arts’ Creative Conversations program brings together arts advocates and community leaders across the country to discuss challenges and issues the arts face in their communities. A featured National Creative Conversation will be held on Facebook on Tuesday, October 25, at 9:00 p.m. ET. The hour-long conversation is open to nationwide public participation and will be driven by a series of questions around the topic “Where are the arts popping up in your community?” More details can be found on the event’s Facebook page. 

 

A listing of local events—such as art exhibits, performances, book readings, and festivals—that are part of the month-long celebration, as well as tools and resources to plan events in local communities, can be found at www.AmericansForTheArts.org/NAHM. Join the conversation online using #NAHM to broadcast gatherings, advocacy events, and cultural happenings related to National Arts and Humanities Month. 

 

President Obama has shown his support again this year with an official presidential proclamation for the month. 

 

“In seeking to break down barriers and challenge our assumptions, we must continue promoting and prioritizing the arts and humanities, especially for our young people. In many ways, the arts and humanities reflect our national soul. They are central to who we are as Americans—as dreamers and storytellers, creators and visionaries. By investing in the arts, we can chart a course for the future in which the threads of our common humanity are bound together with creative empathy and openness. When we engage with the arts, we instill principles that, at their core, make us truer to ourselves,” states President Obama. 

 

National Arts and Humanities Month was launched by Americans for the Arts 30 years ago as National Arts Week in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts. The celebration was recast and reestablished in 1993 by Americans for the Arts and national arts and humanities partners as a month-long celebration, with goals of focusing on the arts and humanities at local, state, and national levels; to encourage individuals and organizations to participate in the arts; to allow governments and businesses to show their support of the arts; and to raise public awareness about the role the arts and humanities play in our communities and lives. 

 

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of more than 55 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.