On July 11, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law the final state budget of $36.5 billion, including the appropriation of $12 million to the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). Before signing the Massachusetts budget, Governor Patrick announced on July 7 at the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield that he would allocate $15 million to the state’s Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF).

Jay Dick, Americans for the Arts' Senior Director of State and Local Government Affairs, was sworn in as a Comissioner for the Virginia Commission on the Arts last month and will serve a 5 year term with them starting July 1, 2014.

American for the Arts CEO and President Robert L. Lynch wrote an article in The Tennessean on May 31 highlighting the recent Periscope: Arts Entrepreneur Training in Nashville as well as the economic impact of arts-related businesses, specifically in Tennessee. Lynch writes that Nashville is a perfect of example of how arts nonprofits, for-profit organizations, and the local government can work together to create a rich environment and a strong economy.

Consumers spend nearly $150 billion annually on entertainment and the arts. How does this breakdown to spending on the arts in your individual community?

CEO and President of the Aspen Institute and acclaimed author, Walter Isaacson, delivered the 43rd Annual Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities on May 12, 2014 at the Kennedy Center. The Jefferson Lecture is sponsored annually by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, announced the recipients of the 2014 Americans for the Arts Annual Local Arts Leadership Awards.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, announced the recipients of the 2014 Americans for the Arts Annual Local Arts Leadership Awards. Presented each year, these awards recognize the achievements of individuals, organizations or programs committed to enriching their communities through the arts

Arts Advocacy Day 2014 on March 24-25 brought together 500 arts advocates from 45 states to Washington, D.C., last month for National Arts Advocacy Day, which is organized by Americans for the Arts and cosponsored by more than 85 national organizations. In a time where the arts are currently facing many challenges and there are many voices competing for the same pool of money on Capitol Hill, the timing of this event couldn't have been better.

Our President and CEO, Bob Lynch, will be in Columbus, Ohio this week to participate in a series of events, site visits, and meetings hosted by the Cultural Arts Center (CAC) and Greater Columbus Arts Council.

The Tennessee Arts Commission is offering grants to Tennessee-based arts organizations and individuals for Americans for the Arts' Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee this June 12 - 15.

With less than 30 days left to reach its $1.70 million Campaign for the Arts goal, United Arts of Central Florida announced that it has attained 77 percent or $1.31 million. This places them ahead of last year’s campaign by 9.7 percent.  Additionally, United Arts is expanding its United ArtsCard donor benefit, a buy-one-ticket-get-one-free and discount card, to include Broadway Across America.

Things are looking up for the nation’s state arts agencies. The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies reports that legislative appropriations increased 10.5 percent in 2014, to $306.6 million. This is the second year of growth following four Great Recession years of budget cuts.

KEY FINDINGS

1) State and jurisdictional arts agencies (SAAs) reported $306.6 million in legislative appropriations for fiscal year 2014.

In September 2013, Governor Martin O’Malley’s P-20 Leadership Council unanimously voted to establish a statewide task force on arts education in Maryland schools. The task force is in place to ensure that all students in Maryland have access to a quality education, which includes the arts. In order for this to happen, the task force will make recommendations on policy, regulations, curriculum, instruction, professional development, and resources regarding student’s PreK-12 education in dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts.

This past month, 13 arts organizations in small and rural communities throughout the state of Arizona were awarded $111,000 in Community Catalyst Grants from the Governor-appointed Arizona Commission on the Arts. The competitive grant program was established by a one-time state budget allocation for Fiscal Year 2014 and awarded funding of up to $10,000 to support community-focused partnerships between arts and non-arts organizations in communities with populations fewer than 100,000.

The Boston mayoral race between state Rep. Martin Walsh and Boston City Councilor John Conolly may show the two candidate’s differences, but there is certainly one common theme shining through—art and culture as the centerpiece for both campaigns. As the first open mayoral race in 20 years, there seems to be more room for different ideas and influence from Boston’s cultural communities.

Today at 12:00 noon, The Association of Performing Arts Presenters will honor Americans for the Arts' CEO and President, Robert L. (Bob) Lynch, and their other 2014 APAP Awards recipients at a luncheon at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City. The APAP Awards honor individuals whose service to the performing arts has had a significant impact on the industry and on communities worldwide.