Americans for the Arts’ Post

🎉 Exciting News! Today marks a monumental step forward for the arts community in Colorado! Empowered, Ltd. Consulting Services is thrilled to have collaborated with the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) to successfully launch Colorado’s first Arts Policy Framework! 🎨✨ Our team worked with artists, creatives and arts advocates across the state to capture policy ideas that not only addresses current needs but also paves the way for a sustainable and inclusive future for the arts. This framework supports advancing Colorado's creative industry which hopes to enhance the economy and society at large. We invite everyone to explore this framework, join the conversation, and support this transformative journey for Colorado’s creative industry. #ColoradoArts #Empoweredltd #ArtsPolicyFramework #CulturalAdvancement

We’re celebrating! Arts for LA has received a grant from The Music Man Foundation. The Strengthening the Sector funds will help Arts for LA work to permanently change the decline in creative worker jobs and arts funding since 2021, advocating for restored funding, the next generation of art leaders, and new jobs for underrepresented creative workers in LA County.

Excellent article this week in NJ.com and the Jersey Journal by writer Teri West discusses a partnership being developed between New Jersey City University and the Jersey City Public Schools which will move the Jersey City Arts High School, as part of the Jersey City Public Schools Visual and Performing Arts Program, to the NJCU campus, on the upper floors of Grossnickle Hall. Under the partnership, the program also will be able to perform in the Margaret Williams Theatre and utilize equipment and the Guarini Library, and sit in on college classes to get a preview of their future college experience. Additionally, all Jersey City schools employees and their immediate family members would get 20% off NJCU tuition. The story includes thoughts from NJCU President Andrés Acebo and Jersey City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Norma Fernandez As NJCU continues developing innovative relationships with the community and other organizations, check out the full story here: https://lnkd.in/dGFdB3JR

Check out one of the largest studies of Americans' views about the arts. Thank you, Americans for the Arts. A few tidbits: Nearly 80% of Americans attended or participated in an arts or culture event in the past year, and 76% say arts and culture are personally important to them. Equity in Arts Access Remains a Challenge: While 9 in 10 Americans believe every student deserves a quality arts education, only 52% agree that students have enough opportunities to take arts classes, and just 51% feel everyone in their community has equal access to the arts. Broad-Based Support for Government Arts Funding: The majority of Americans—across political lines—approve of government funding for nonprofit arts and culture organizations at the local (70%), state (66%), and federal (66%) levels. https://lnkd.in/ezeY2_pj

Say it loud! 📣The arts are essential and a human right! To limit students access to arts education is to deny critical opportunities for social emotional development as well as other critical aptitudes: Confidence, creative problem-solving, cultural awareness, communication, conflict resolution, collaborative empathy and self-awareness. Decreasing support for arts education limits the ability for low-income communities to envision the many possible pathways that exist in both arts and non-arts professions. The proposed cuts disproportionately impact students in those communities.

Did you know that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is actively working on reparations to address historical harms against African American descendants of enslaved people, as outlined in the June 2024 Board motion? It is part of Los Angeles County’s formal apology for its role in slavery & post slavery injustice. The on-going reparations will address the following “Harms Caused by Slavery”: 1) Enslavement 2) Racial Terror 3) Political Disenfranchisement 4) Housing Segregation 5) Separate & Unequal Education 6) Racism in Environment & Infrastructure 7) Pathologizing the Black Family 8 Control over Creative, Cultural & Intellectual Life 9) Stolen Labor & Hindered Opportunity 10) An unjust legal System 11) Mental & physical harm & neglect 12) Wealth Gap Eligible individuals can participate in future reparations programs by completing the interest form available on the County’s reparations webpage. Get involved, scroll down and sign up: Reparations in Los Angeles County https://lnkd.in/gfXbqn2K,

In 2012 the National Governors Association released a study called New Engines of Growth: Five Role for Arts Culture and Design. (link in comments) The study made the case for arts and culture as an economic driver. It encouraged states to create ordinances allowing municipalities to create Arts and Culture Districts which would allow for creating local code exemptions to incentivize artists to open their businesses in those districts. The Commonwealth of Virginia like most States created such a code (15.2-943.1. Creation of arts and cultural districts.), and Arts and Cultural Districts began popping up across America. Most of these districts failed to accomplish the goals of attracting artists to open businesses, due to a lack of motivational incentives. I spent the last 12 years arguing for real, funded, impactful changes that actually incentivize artists. Do you know of any good examples of arts incentive programs that have actually worked??

The arts have so many co-benefits to communities; there is no downside to supporting arts and cultural organizations and activities. Across the board, Americans enthusiastically believe in the power of arts and culture for community well-being. 86% of Americans believe "arts and culture improve my community's quality of life and livability.” The arts spark innovation, positively impact physical and mental health, and drive economic growth. https://lnkd.in/giBsp4eQ

Looking forward to participating in the 4th Annual National Symposium for State and Local Reparations, which will take place in Evanston, IL https://lnkd.in/ghqzWEXA My session will explore how bureaucratic systems hinder personal and collective dream building and contribute to historical and contemporary failures. Building on the successes and challenges of recent work, we will consider the knowledge and tools necessary to advance reparative justice. There are costs—both personal and societal—in the pursuit of social justice specifically for Black communities. Now more than ever we need to examine how dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs impacts reparations, and understand the role of hope in advancing social justice.

New Study Reveals Strong Support for the Arts, but Equal Access Remains a Challenge for Half of Americans The results are in, and the message is clear: Americans view the arts as essential to their personal lives, their communities, and the nation’s future. Yet, despite its undeniable value, only half (51%) of Americans believe everyone in their community has equal access to the arts. This finding comes from Americans Speak Out About the Arts in 2023, a national public opinion survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Americans for the Arts (AFTA). The study, one of the most comprehensive of its kind, examines Americans’ perceptions and attitudes towards arts and culture.