October is National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM) in America. NAHM is a coast-to-coast collective recognition of the importance of culture and the arts in America. It is designed to encourage all Americans to explore new facets of the arts and humanities in their lives, and to begin a lifelong habit of active participation in the arts and humanities. On September 30, 2013, President Obama made an official Presidential Proclamation for National Arts & Humanities month and you can read it here.

From hosting a Creative Conversation or arts center open house to securing a mayoral (or Presidential) proclamation or better newspaper coverage of the arts, people in every community across the United States can celebrate NAHM by helping to recognize the contributions of cultural organizations in their region.

This national celebration of the arts could not come at a more prescient time. The current government shutdown has the potential to drastically impact the arts sector in myriad of ways, and the ripple effects resulting from just a few days of closure could be significant.

For more information visit the NAHM webpage, featuring events you can attend in your community as well as a toolkit to create your own. Also, become a fan of our NAHM Facebook page and follow @Americans4Arts on Twitter (hashtag #NAHM) for timely updates and stories on how local organizations are celebrating this month.