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Arts Advocacy Day 2007:



On Tuesday, March 13, over 400 arts advocates from across the country came together in Washington, DC for Arts Advocacy Day in an effort to share the importance of the arts in our communities with our elected officials on Capitol Hill. 

Highlights of the day included the Congressional Arts Breakfast, which featured speakers such as Congressional Arts Caucus co-chairs Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT); Congressional Arts Leadership Award winner Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN); and civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis (D-GA).

Following the breakfast, a Congressional hearing on the importance of supporting the National Endowment for the Arts was held by Representative Norm Dicks (D-WA), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior. Former Nebraskan Chris Klein, Wynton Marsalis, Mayor David Cicilline of Providence, James Raisbeck, Dr. Sheila C. Johnson, and Robert L. Lynch testified at the hearing and encouraged investment in the arts as a way to help spur creativity and innovation in America.

On the eve of Arts Advocacy Day, veteran broadcast journalist and Chairman of the Board of The MacDowell Colony, Robert MacNeil, delivered Americans for the Arts' 2007 Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy to a capacity crowd in the Concert Hall of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. A podcast of MacNeil's speech, titled "Out of the Disenlightenment," is now available for download.

Need more information? Browse the 2007 Congressional Arts Handbook for issue briefs, voting records, latest arts research and trends, relevant Congressional committees, and Congressional contact lists.

Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network Annual Meeting:
Nebraskans for the Arts Vice President for Education Charles Bethea and Administrative Director Nicole Palof attended the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network Annual Meeting on February 13th through 15th in Washington, DC. This event is an opportunity for representatives of the education arm of Nebraskans for the Arts to network with colleagues around the country about best practices, award programs, professional development opportunities and advocacy strategies.


Charles Bethea (left) and Nicole Palof visited Capitol Hill in conjunction with the KCAAEN Annual Meeting. This visit included a meeting with Congressman Adrian Smith (District 3), pictured above.

Where Will Your Creativity Take You?
The 2007 Legislative Lunch was held on January 31 and was a great success! This biennial event, co-sponsored by the Nebraska Arts Council and Nebraskans for the Arts, focused on the importance of public funding for the arts and provided a special opportunity for Nebraska's arts organizations and artists to meet with elected officials.

Event Highlights:

* Advcocacy Workshop:
"Creative Arts Advocacy: How to Share Your Story"
Storyteller Rita Paskowitz provided useful, practical tips on crafting a compelling story. Rita led the group in activities focused on communicating personal arts stories in a fun and effective way to elected officials, funders and potential supporters.

* The LaVon Crosby Award was presented to the Nebraska State Board of Education for their longstanding support of arts education.

* Senator Jim Cudaback contributed to the embience with a special piano performance. 

* The 2006 National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Out Loud statewide winner, Shuqiao Song, captivated the crowd with her recitation of T.S. Eliot's "Preludes".

Two Omaha Schools Receive Arts Awards: Catlin Arts Magnet and St. Cecilia Cathedral School, both of Omaha, have been selected as 2006 Creative Ticket Schools of Excellence Award winners. These awards recognize schools that have done an outstanding job of making the arts an essential part of education. 

The awards were given by First Lady Sally Ganem at a reception at the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery in Lincoln on October 5. The awards were also celebrated on-site at each of the schools during September. Read more here...

Membership Meeting and Merger Vote: On Tuesday, June 27, 2006, the memberships of Nebraskans for the Arts and the Nebraska Alliance for Arts Education met in Lincoln to vote on the merger of these two organizations. The vote passed overwhelmingly, with over sixty members voting in person or by proxy. As of July 1, 2006, all business of the Nebraska Alliance for Arts Education is being conducted under the umbrella of Nebraskans for the Arts. Click here to read the minutes from the membership meeting. Click here to read the minutes from the boards of directors meeting.

Attorney (and Nebraskans for the Arts Member) David Gardels watches as Nebraska Alliance for Arts Education President Roberta Wilhelm and Nebraskans for the Arts President Joan Desens sign the Merger Agreement.

Arts Advocacy Day 2006: On Tuesday, March 14, a group of Nebraska arts advocates descended on Capitol Hill to speak with our congressmen about the importance of public funding for the arts.

The Nebraska team visited with Senator Ben Nelson, Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, and aides from the offices of Senator Chuck Hagel, Congressman Lee Terry and Congressman Tom Osborne.

Senator Ben Nelson with Shari Hofschire (UNO), Suzanne Wise (NAC), and Nicole Palof (Nebraskans for the Arts)

You can still participate in Arts Advocacy Day by asking your Members of Congress to support the arts. By visiting the Americans for the Arts E-Advocacy Center, you’ll be able to send a message directly to your Representative and Senators telling them why the arts are important to you and your community.
 
On Monday, March 13, William Safire delivered the 19th annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Art and Public Policy. Click here to read an essay about the lecture from the Washington Post.

On Tuesday, March 14, Arts Advocacy Day kicked off with the Congressional Arts Breakfast. Click here to read an article from the Washington Post about one of the breakfast's speakers, Alec Baldwin, and his commitment to arts advocacy.

Nebraskans for the Arts/Nebraska Alliance for Arts Education Annual Meeting: The boards and membership of Nebraskans for the Arts and the Nebraska Alliance for Arts Education recently held a combined annual meeting. This event took place prior to the Nebraska Arts Council's 2006 Governor's Arts Awards on January 31, 2006. To read the minutes from this meeting, click here.

Governor’s Arts Awards: Since 1979, the Nebraska Arts Council, in partnership with the Governor of Nebraska, have recognized Nebraska arts organizations, arts professionals and the people and businesses who support the arts in Nebraska with a gala event and an award created by a Nebraska artist. The awards are presented biennially, and this year they were awarded in Lincoln on January 31. For a list of 2006 awardees, click here.

At the Legislative Lunch, we present the LaVon Crosby Award to a state senator who has shown outstanding support for arts policy in Nebraska. 2005 recipients were Senator Roger Wehrbein (District 2) and Senator Don Pederson (District 42).