TCG Bulletin
July 2008, Volume 31, Issue 7
ADVOCACY NEWS FROM THE PERFORMING ARTS ALLIANCE AND TCG
The American Arts Alliance is Changing its Name!
The American Arts Alliance is changing its name to the Performing Arts Alliance: The Coalition of Performing Arts Advocates. The new name, which reflects the performing arts advocacy focus of this organization, will officially take effect on September 15, 2008.
Action: Visit the Performing Arts Alliance website for: A Quick and Easy Way to Contact Your Members of Congress; Arts Advocacy Dos and Don’ts; Rules for Inviting Members of Congress to Performances; Cultural Exchange Resources and Funding Opportunities; and Updates on Current Legislative Issues.
Back to TopHouse Subcommittee Approves NEA Increase
On June 11, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee approved a $15.3 million increase for the NEA in the FY09 Department of Interior Appropriations Bill, for a total budget of $160 million in FY09. The President has requested a budget of $128 million which would be a $16 million decrease from the agency’s FY08 budget.
Action: Please continue to email your Members of Congress and your Senators in support of increased funding for the NEA and for arts education. Sample emails can be found on the Performing Arts Alliance website.
Back to TopFEMA Posts Final Policy Regarding Private Not-for-profit Facilities
In June, 2001, TCG and the American Arts Alliance (now the Performing Arts Alliance), learned that a number of our members (the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera and Alley Theatre) had lost millions of dollars of costumes, musical instruments, sheet music, archives and other artifacts as a result of flooding from Tropical Storm Allison. In addition, we learned that their efforts to seek relief from FEMA had been denied. Upon further investigation, it was determined that at some point between the earthquake in San Francisco of 1989 and Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, FEMA’s regulations had changed and no longer allowed performing arts facilities to be eligible to apply for relief.
We are pleased to report that after a number of years of advocacy, FEMA once again considers performing arts facilities as eligible to apply for relief.
Action: Visit the FEMA website to see the final FEMA policy on the eligibility of performing arts facilities.
Back to TopNEA Announces New Artists in the Workforce Study
The NEA has announced the release of Artists in the Workforce: 1990-2005, the first nationwide look at artists' demographic and employment patterns in the 21st century. Artists in the Workforce analyzes working artist trends, gathering new statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau to provide a comprehensive overview of this workforce segment and its maturation over the past 30 years, along with detailed information on specific artist occupations.
Among the findings:
- Numbering almost two million, artists are one of the largest classes of workers in the nation, only slightly smaller than the U.S. military’s active-duty and reserve personnel (2.2 million). Artists now represent 1.4 percent of the U.S. labor force.
- Between 1970 and 1990, the number of artists more than doubled (from 737,000 to 1.7 million), a much larger percentage gain than for the labor force as a whole. Between 1990 and 2005, the growth of artists slowed to a 16 percent rate, about the same as for the overall labor force.
Action: Visit the NEA website for the entire press release.
Back to TopNext Section: Artistic Opportunities in the United States
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