The Heinz Family Foundation announced their 26th Heinz Awards recipients, including Tanya Aguiñiga, a visual artist recognized for blending contemporary craft, sculpture and performance to address issues of migration, gender and identity. Aguiñiga also was the inaugural recipient in 2018 of the Johnson Fellowship for Artists Transforming Communities from Americans for the Arts.

Los Angeles-based director, writer, and cultural organizer Mark Valdez is this year’s recipient of Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation’s annual Zelda Fichandler Award, which recognizes directors and choreographers who have demonstrated great accomplishment with singular creativity and deep investment in a particular community or region. Valdez also was the recipient of the 2019 Johnson Fellowship for Artists Transforming Communities from Americans for the Arts.

Arts & Cultural Equity Studio (ACES) centers the experiences of arts leaders of color navigating the field and offers attendees insights into various professional journeys the paths that have led to leadership roles in the arts sector.

At The Table is a new group of African-American arts leaders responsible for organizing dynamic discussions that showcase and leverage our collective cultural and philanthropic power. The group aims to offer opportunities for connection, a platform for financial growth, infrastructure for community building, and encouragement to engage in wellness.

This week: A new arts education bill needs your support, the power of local arts agencies, exploring the importance of Indigenous stories and media, managing transitions at arts organizations, elevating the work of our members, and a day for conservators to shine on social media.

For the first time since 2016, the White House has released a proclamation declaring October as National Arts & Humanities Month. In the proclamation, President Joe Biden cites the economic, health, educational, and community benefits of the arts and humanities.

Americans for the Arts today announced the recipients of this year’s national Arts + Business Partnership Awards, recognizing six U.S. companies, an arts and business partnership, and a business leader for their exceptional commitment to the arts. The awards will be presented by Americans for the Arts on October 15, 2021, at a virtual gala. This year’s honorees include the companies Audible (Newark, NJ); NMG Network (Honolulu, HI); University of Michigan Credit Union (Ann Arbor, MI); Underestimated People of Purpose (UPOP) (Denver, CO); Universal Orlando Resort (Orlando, FL); and Vestar (Phoenix, AZ). These companies have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the arts through grants, local partnerships, volunteer programs, matching gifts, sponsorships, and board membership.

Americans for the Arts today announced its October celebration of National Arts and Humanities Month, a coast-to-coast collective celebration of culture in America. The arts and humanities have played a critically important role during the COVID-19 pandemic and in amplifying the need for racial equity across the country. National Arts and Humanities Month is the time for communities to come together in unified celebration of the power of the arts to make a difference and change our lives for the better.

Americans for the Arts is thrilled to collaborate with Alora Young, the 2021 Youth Poet Laureate for the Southern United States, as our 2021 Ambassador for National Arts & Humanities Month. Alora will use her platform throughout the month of October to share her love of the humanities and arts with the public as we celebrate the power of culture in communities across the nation.

This week: the power of arts education, grants for creative therapies in the military, emergency preparedness for public artworks, branding for arts organizations, and participating in artEquity’s leadership cohort for BIPOC arts workers.

Americans for the Arts is proud to announce that Ruby Lopez Harper, Vice President of Equity and Local Arts Engagement, has been selected to join artEquity’s 2021 BIPOC Leadership Circle cohort of 50 arts and culture leaders.

Americans for the Arts and the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) today announced Delaware Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long as the recipient of the 2021 Public Leadership in the Arts Award for State Arts Leadership at this year’s NLGA Annual Meeting held in Point Clear, Alabama. The annual award honors a public official who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advancement of the arts at the state/territory level. 

This week: an update on our board-commissioned Task Force for Racial and Cultural Equity, a new bipartisan pro-arts bill and a full legislative update on federal arts advocacy success in 2021, looking ahead to National Arts & Humanities Month, and shining a spotlight on our Diversity in Arts Leadership interns.