News
Travel Promotion Act Signed into Law
Private Sector Blog Salon, Week of March 8
Join bloggers Janet Brown, Colin Tweedy, Larry Thompson, Mark Brewer, Mary Trudel, John Killacky and many others in discussing why and how the private sector supports the arts. We’re hoping that these discussions will be provocative and inspire some new thinking on the future of arts support.
Visit http://blog.artsusa.org/category/private-sector/ to be part of the conversation.
Education Secretary Duncan Pressed on Arts Education Consolidation
Chart the Future with Americans for the Arts Green Papers
Green Papers are a chance for you to talk about a particular discipline or interest area in a facilitated, open forum. Each participating organization who authored a Green Paper also selected an emerging leader Ambassador to facilitate discussion about the related Paper. The Green Papers ambassadors will continue this dialogue throughout the year--capturing and synthesizing the ideas, changes, and themes that arise from online discussions. Ambassadors will be led by a group facilitator, Eric Booth, and at the end of the year, new Green Papers will emerge that will reflect the overarching changes and ideas proposed through this open forum.
Secretary Duncan to Testify on FY11 Budget Proposal
Arts Advocacy Day 2007: Congressional Arts Breakfast: Louise Slaughter
Arts Advocacy Day 2007: Congressional Arts Breakfast: Norm Dicks
Arts Advocacy Day 2007: Congressional Arts Breakfast: John Lewis
Arts Advocacy Day 2007: Congressional Arts Breakfast: Dana Gioia
Arts Advocacy Day 2007: Congressional Arts Breakfast: Wynton Marsalis
Arts Advocacy Day 2007: Congressional Arts Breakfast: Shelia C. Johnson
Arts Advocacy Day 2007: Congressional Arts Breakfast: Jane Powell
Arts Advocacy Day 2007: Congressional Arts Breakfast: Chris Klein
President Obama Releases FY 2011 Budget
In a press statement Americans for the Arts President and CEO Bob Lynch said, "The Administration’s FY 2011 budget request of $161.3 million for the National Endowment for the Arts—while just a fraction of the $6.3 billion of direct expenditures for all arts nonprofits in the U.S.—is unfortunately a $6 million decrease from what Congress appropriated for FY 2010. We now turn to Congress to continue its investment trend in providing additional appropriations for the NEA."
Funding Changes for the Arts
“At a time when the Americans for the Arts National Arts Index shows that because of the current economy support for the arts is at its lowest point in a decade, arts organizations have been relying on one area where funding has been on the increase—the leveraging power of federal funding for the arts and humanities. The Administration’s FY 2011 budget request of $161.3 million for the National Endowment for the Arts—while just a fraction of the $6.3 billion of direct expenditures for all arts nonprofits in the U.S.—is unfortunately a $6 million decrease from what Congress appropriated for FY 2010. We now turn to Congress to continue its investment trend in providing additional appropriations for the NEA. The FY 2011 NEA budget also includes an announcement of a new agency program called Our Town. We are excited to see that this important initiative is designed to strengthen communities through the arts. The backbone for the arts starts at the local level and having the federal government strategically invest in this kind community-based direction will spur further support for the arts. But why hamper the potential impact of this new initiative by reducing the NEA’s overall budget?
“The President’s budget also includes a number of new proposals to strengthen our education system and build a 21st workforce. However, the consolidation of the Arts in Education (AIE) program within the Department of Education’s new ‘Effective Teaching and Learning for Well-Rounded Education’ category puts us at unease and could lead to a diminished focus on arts education. This consolidation of the only identified arts-specific education program at the Department of Education seems to be in contradiction to the Administration’s previous strong vocal support of the arts. While the total available AIE grant funds are unknown at this time, it is an unbeneficial move at a time when arts education cuts are happening across the country. The arts are a proven integral part of every child’s development, preparing them for school, work, and life in the competitive 21st century global economy.
“The nation’s creative industries and arts workers are ready to continue to play their role in assisting with economic recovery, job training and creation, and the development of a well-rounded education that includes robust learning in the arts in order to provide workers of tomorrow with the creative and innovative skills they need today. The 5.7 million jobs and $166 billion in economic impact from the nonprofit arts sector alone hang in the balance. Further commitment from the federal government is needed to allow these groups to reach their full potential.”
Young Professional Development Opportunities
Fellows will receive stipends of $3,000 to support their attendance at the 2010 Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit, 2010 National Arts Marketing Project Conference, and Arts Advocacy Day 2011. In addition, fellows will have special opportunities to meet field leaders, work alongside mentors, and receive individualized career coaching.
In order for our sector to remain healthy and vibrant, we need to ensure that we are identifying and retaining young professionals within our workforce. Further, we need to actively cultivate, expand and support talented, culturally diverse, emerging leaders. Based upon recommendations from the Emerging Leaders Council, Americans for the Arts has been working to enable more emerging leaders to fully participate in national meetings and events for their own development and so they can connect with the broader community of arts professionals from across the country. Therefore, this Professional Development Fund has been designed to target an important segment of our workforce: emerging arts leaders of color.
Download application materials and eligibility information here, or for more information contact Stephanie Evans at leadership@artsusa.org or by phone at 202-371-2830 ext 2036.
First National Arts Index Measures Health and Vitality of the Arts
US Conference of Mayors Honors the Arts
- Gov. Kulongoski receives the 2010 Award for State Arts Leadership for advancing both policy and budget initiatives that brand culture and creative endeavors as critical to the state’s economy and future.
- Mayor Hannemann receives the 2010 Award for Local Arts Leadership for creating opportunities to use the arts as a catalyst for economic development and community revitalization in Honolulu.
- Michael Feinstein receives the 2010 Award for Artist-Citizen. He is a multi-platinum selling, five-time Grammy-nominated entertainer dubbed “The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook,” and is considered one of the premiere interpreters of American popular song.
For more information about both awards, visit the online press room.
First National Arts Index Measures Health and Vitality of the Arts
The National Arts Index fell 4 points in 2008 to a score of 98.4, reflecting losses in charitable giving and declining attendance at larger cultural institutions, even as the number of arts organizations grew. The 2008 downturn in the Index was not wholly unexpected. With 100,000 nonprofit arts organizations and 600,000 more arts-related businesses, 2.24 million artists in the workforce, and billions of dollars in consumer spending, the arts industries largely track the nation’s business cycle.
Want to Learn More
- To read and download the full report, visit www.AmericansForTheArts.org/go/ArtsIndex.
- Go to ArtsBlog to and hear Randy Cohen's blog cast
- Are your an Americans for the Arts member? Sign-up for the National Arts Index webinar
- Watch out for more conversation on ArtsBlog



