TCG Bulletin

July 2009, Volume 32, Issue 7

ADVOCACY NEWS FROM THE PERFORMING ARTS ALLIANCE AND TCG

House Subcommittee Approves $15 Million Increase to NEA

UPDATED This story was originally published in the June 2009 issue of the Bulletin.
The House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee approved a $15 million increase for the NEA, bringing NEA funding to $170 million for FY 2010. The total for the agency in FY 2009 was $155 million, and this increase reflects years of advocacy work since the NEA's budget was severely cut in 1995.
Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA), Chairman of the Subcommittee, championed the NEA funding as a priority issue. The increase represents the first step in the appropriations process. On June 23, the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee approved a $6.3 million increase for the NEA – the amount requested by President Obama in his budget request to Congress. The full Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to take up this Bill on Thursday, June 25. If the Senate funding level is different than the House funding level, the appropriations level would have to be resolved in the coming months in Conference Committee.

Action: Stay tuned, and if you receive an Action Alert from the Performing Arts Alliance, please respond.

President Obama Announces Intent to Nominate Former Congressman Jim Leach as Chairman of the NEH

Jim Leach served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the state of Iowa for 30 years. He founded and co-chaired the Congressional Humanities Caucus. He has taught at Princeton University and served as the interim director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Action: Visit the White House website to read the full announcement.

White House Held Briefing on Art, Community, Social Justice and National Recovery

More than 60 artists and creative organizers convened at the White House for a briefing moderated by Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President, who serves as White House Liaison to the arts.
The purpose for the White House briefing was:
(1) To learn about key Obama Administration initiatives that might be advanced through the long-term engagement of artists working with communities;
(2) To connect the creative community with campaigns and other action opportunities involving important national issues;
(3) To share the exemplary work of our diverse field;
(4) To facilitate the inclusion of dynamic cultural strategies as an integral part of the administration’s agenda for economic recovery, community renewal and civic engagement.

Action: Visit the State Voices website to read the full report.

White House Announces Summer of Service Initiative

President Obama has officially announced a new initiative designed to encourage Americans to create meaningful change in their communities by engaging in service. United We Serve is the product of a partnership between The Corporation for National and Community Service and the White House, which kicked off on June 22 and will run through the National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11.
United We Serve focuses on economic recovery and service in four areas: energy efficiency, education and literacy, healthcare access and community renewal. Arts organizations, local and state arts agencies, business committees for the arts, art education groups and others already engage volunteers using the arts to help solve such broad community problems. Now is the time for arts organizations nationwide to increase opportunities for volunteers to get involved in order to help stabilize the arts during this economic downturn.

Action: Visit the Corporation for National and Community Service website for all the tools needed to participate in this initiative.

NEA Announces Highlights from 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts

According to new research released by the NEA, American audiences for the arts are getting older and their numbers are declining. Arts Participation 2008: Highlights from a National Survey features top findings from the 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, the nation’s largest and most representative periodic study of adult participation in arts events and activities, conducted by the NEA in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau. Five times since 1982, the survey has asked U.S. adults 18 and older about their patterns of arts participation over a 12-month period.

Action: Visit the NEA website for the full report.

Next Section: Artistic Opportunities in the United States

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