Entering its 20th consecutive year, Arts Advocacy Day is the only national event designed to bring together a broad cross section of America’s national cultural and civic organizations. These groups will join hundreds of grassroots advocates from across the country to underscore the importance of developing strong public policies and appropriating increased public funding for the arts.Entering its 20th consecutive year, Arts Advocacy Day is the only national event designed to bring together a broad cross section of America’s national cultural and civic organizations. These groups will join hundreds of grassroots advocates from across the country to underscore the importance of developing strong public policies and appropriating increased public funding for the arts.
This year Arts Advocacy Day kicks off on Monday, March 12, with a day of legislative training sessions and guest speakers. We’ll teach you everything you need to know about the current arts issues circulating on Capitol Hill and how to lobby Congress for increased public funding for the arts. Throughout the day you’ll have the chance to meet with other attendees from your state in order to make the most of your Congressional visits. (The Americans for the Arts State Arts Advocacy Captain from your state will be setting up meetings with Members of Congress prior to your visits on March 13. You may also set up your own Congressional appointments in coordination with your State Arts Advocacy Captains.)
On Monday evening, we’ll travel to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the 20th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy. Our speaker this year will be Robert MacNeil, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and veteran anchorman, who for twenty years anchored a nightly news hour with Jim Lehrer on PBS. He currently serves as the chairman of the Board of Directors of the MacDowell Colony, the esteemed artist colony located in Peterborough, NH. A reception will be held in The Kennedy Center Atrium following the presentation.
Directly following the Nancy Hanks Lecture, rising leaders in the arts will gather for The Emerging Arts Leader Networking Reception. This will be an informal networking opportunity for emerging leaders from around the country who will be in Washington, DC for Arts Advocacy Day. Join us for hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, and conversation at this exciting event.
On Tuesday morning, we’ll begin the day with the Congressional Arts Breakfast on Capitol Hill. The Congressional Arts Breakfast will feature brief talks by Members of Congress and celebrity guests. The Congressional Arts Breakfast is designed to rally advocates immediately before you begin your lobbying visits. There will also be time during the breakfast to make final preparations for your lobbying visits with your state delegations.
We hope that you can join us for Arts Advocacy Day. Our success as a strong, unified coalition has been instrumental in advancing key legislative initiatives, including increased funding for the federal cultural agencies and enlightened tax, international, and education policies. This past year, arts advocates succeeded in securing increased funding for both the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as securing increased funding for arts education programs within the U.S. Department of Education. Your involvement does make an impact, and we hope that you will consider joining us for this year’s important event.
For more information about this program or any Aericans for the Arts programs and services, please call us at 202-371-2830.