This week: Explore with us the work of Indigenous artist Luzene Hill, consider with us the opportunities in using technology to bring public art to people during a pandemic, and join us in saying goodbye to philanthropist Eli Broad.
Building on two previous letters of support for relief and recovery efforts to help the arts, culture, and the creative sector, a coalition of 113 chambers of commerce in 46 states delivered a letter to U.S. House and Senate leadership asking that $18 billion be allocated within the forthcoming infrastructure recovery bills specifically to support creative economic recovery. Signatories come from chambers in communities of all sizes and geographies and collectively serve over 33 million Americans.
The National Endowment for the Arts has announced more than $52 million in funding for state and jurisdictional arts agencies and regional arts organizations, the first recommended awards of the American Rescue Plan (ARP). These funds are designed to support the arts sector as it recovers from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This week: updating the economic power of the arts; advocacy reading and opportunities, including next week’s National Arts Action Summit and 10 reasons to support the arts in 2021; exploring the impact of COVID-19 on intentionally marginalized creative workers; how to bring a creative workforce recovery program to your community; and introducing the 2021 Diversity in Arts Leadership interns.
The arts are a larger segment of the economy than most people realize. According to the latest Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA) report released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the nation’s arts and culture sector—nonprofit, commercial, education—was a $919.7 billion industry that supported 5.2 million jobs in 2019.
In the wake of the shooting in Atlanta that has left eight individuals dead, six of whom were Asian, we are re-sharing an excerpt from a recent issue of our Cultural Equity Weekly News Digest focusing on resources specific to combatting anti-Asian racism.
This week: what the newly-signed American Rescue Plan means for the arts and culture sector, a hopeful dance project bearing witness to nuclear disaster, the contributions craft can bring to a community, and research on the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women—especially in the arts field.
Americans for the Arts and the National Association of Counties (NACo) have awarded former Oakland County Commissioner Shelley Taub of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, the Public Leadership in the Arts Award for County Arts Leadership. The award was given today at NACo’s virtual Arts and Culture Commission event, and honors an elected county official who has significantly advanced the arts in the community they serve.
Brigadier General Nolen Bivens (ret.), Interim President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, and Nina Ozlu Tunceli, Executive Director of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund (Arts Action Fund), released a statement in response to the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
This week: staff blogs on equity in grantmaking, the social impacts of COVID on intentionally marginalized communities, and new research on the power of the arts in economic recovery. Plus, nominate yourself or a colleague for our annual Leadership Awards!
Over the past year, arts marketing as a discipline has weathered as many changes as the industry we support. From the work that we do, to the roles that we occupy within organizations, and the ways that we relate to one another—everything is in the process of evolution right now.
This week, three stories on ARTSblog showcase where the field has been over the past year—challenges and successes alike—and reflects on what can and needs to be prioritized as we move forward and begin to recover as a nation. Arts advocates can be part of asking for and setting those priorities at the National Arts Action Summit, happening virtually April 5-9, 2021.
In case you missed it this week: applications are open for the 2021 Jorge and Darlene Pérez Prize in Public Art & Civic Design, new research reaffirms the power of the arts in promoting mental health and wellness, and a student filmmaker's story of creating a documentary on the plight of artists and creative workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
This week: Get to know our Interim President & CEO, read why the creativity that drove Inauguration Day must also drive our national post-pandemic recovery, explore the question of copyright on art created by artificial intelligence, and celebrate three artists working to transform America's communities through the arts.
This week we announced registration and scholarships for the National Arts Action Summit, opened nominations for the annual Arts and Business Partnership Awards, looked back at a webinar chock full of guidance on applying for NEA grant funding, and teased a new blog series that will dive deep on data from our COVID-19 research studies and tell stories of the pandemic’s impact on intentionally marginalized artists and creative workers.
Join Americans for the Arts on January 11, 2021 at 3 p.m. ET for “Starring Role: Arts & Entertainment in the Pandemic Era,” a free virtual event to discuss the economic and societal contributions made by the arts and entertainment sectors, the challenges and opportunities they face in the pandemic era, and how a culture of creativity, innovation, and ingenuity is helping us through these unprecedented times.
The global airline industry has been hit hard by COVID-19. What is the state of airport art programs during our global pandemic? Are airport art programs staying on course? Are they grounded? Or, are they heading on new trajectories?
Catch up on the National Arts Marketing Project Conference, webinars on arts and business partnerships and the Diversity in Arts Leadership program, blogs that explore racial inequity in the arts and ways to keep the arts going in your community during the pandemic, our latest Member Profile, and a new research opportunity from the Wallace Foundation.
As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday we reflect on the urgent work of 2020, both in our own offices and at programs across the country, as the arts and culture field works to support and solve challenges related to the COVID pandemic, racial equity, and more. Wishing you a safe, happy, and creative season!
In 2020, Americans for the Arts continued its commitment to our vision and planned work, while also pivoting and taking on new, urgent work like so many of our 5,000 member organizations. Here are highlights of some key areas of the new and urgent work of Americans for the Arts in 2020 that are in addition to our planned work portfolio.
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.
Given the funding challenges in the arts today, do you have your arguments ready for supporting the arts in your community? Americans for the Arts has important information at the ready on the economic impact of the arts, the social impact of the arts, and the need to put creative workers to work.
Registration opened this week for the National Arts Marketing Project Conference, happening virtually Dec. 7 and 8, 2020. If your organization has a tighter than usual budget, check out several scholarship opportunities available for the conference. Also this week, get to know fellow Americans for the Arts member Kya Conner, who teaches West African drumming and Mental Health Law & Policy, and catch up on our suite of webinars exploring challenges and solutions for arts organizations facing the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This week, we learned about MBA students who get a leg up on leadership skills by engaging with the arts, took a tour through a virtual music festival with strong community and business support, explored new ways to plan for an uncertain future, deepened our interest in promoting the importance of voting, and proudly shared a new set of guiding principles that would bring together design and public health professionals for equitable and positive health outcomes. If you missed anything, now's your chance to catch up!
From July 23-25, Cincinnati Music Festival held a Virtual Weekend to bring people together through music. With the support of presenting sponsor P&G, this iconic Cincinnati event engaged audiences both online and in person to highlight the community across the nation and build brand affinity and goodwill for its sponsors along the way.
The PHEAL Guiding Principles reaffirm the imperative need for public health and design professionals to work together toward empowering and elevating the voices of historically overburdened communities with health inequities in the time of COVID-19.
While COVID-19 has shut down many theatres across the country, the arts continue to thrive in new and innovative ways.
If you missed it this week: Watch a webinar exploring state-by-state voting rules and what educational activities nonprofits can do to get the vote out, learn more about the economic power of the arts in rural communities, meet fellow #AFTAmember Kathy Hsieh of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, and explore our newly redesigned interactive results dashboard for the Profile of Local Arts Agencies.
