The House has postponed further consideration of the FY 2016 Interior Appropriations bill (H.R. 2822). This annual bill provides funding to cultural agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The House postponed final passage due to strong controversy surrounding voice-voted provisions impacting the display of Confederate flags on certain graves in federal cemeteries and on merchandise within contractual National Park Service (NPS) gift shops.

On March 18, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee held its Public and Outside Witness hearing to receive testimony on programs funded by the subcommittee, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

After 3 days of considering bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and nearly 60 amendments, the Senate HELP Committee advanced the legislation, enabling it to be next considered on the Senate floor under an open amendment process. Floor action is now expected before the end of May.

Register today for the 2015 Annual Convention, taking place June 12–14, 2015 in Chicago!

The conference will take place at the Chicago Sheraton, with more than 40 breakouts, three keynotes, three preconferences, two Workshop Intensives, a dozen ARTventure Tours, and an opening reception at the Museum of Contemporary Art! 

In September, we held a call for nominations for our Network Councils. Now it's time for you, our members, to cast your vote to determine which nominees will be elected to the following four Americans for the Arts' Network Councils.

The greatest month of the year is upon us - National Arts & Humanities Month!

It's that time again: Americans for the Arts is seeking at least 200 partners to make this Arts and Economic Prosperity Study larger and more comprehensive than ever before--and we invite YOU to be a part of it!

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee today approved legislation restoring $8 million in FY15 funding cut from both the NEA and NEH. Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-NY) secured the funding restoration within the non-controversial manager’s amendment offered by Interior Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert (R-CA). Heading into the committee markup, Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) was also prepared to offer an amendment to restore the cuts to the NEA and NEH. The funding restoration now returns each of these agencies to their current FY14 level of funding of $146 million for FY15.

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

Americans for the Arts, a leading partner in The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS), will launch in partnership with NCCAS the 2014 National Core Arts Standards in a streaming webinar on Wednesday, June 4, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Join arts education leaders from around the country to learn more about the new standards. The event will feature interviews with a broad spectrum of arts education providers, including certified educators, teaching artists, administrators, national/state policy makers, and arts education advocates.

With 2013 ending, we at Americans for the Arts find ourselves grateful for so many great arts achievements this year. There are so many partners doing amazing work in towns, cities, and states across the country--and in reflecting on this work, we wanted to especially thank the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and its staff for serving as the national lynchpin for the whole US arts field.

According to Jennifer DeChant - executive director of the Chocolate Church Arts Center in Bath, Maine - arts and culture are underrated and understated contributors to the economy in Southern Maine. She believes community arts organizations are a place to display local talent, but also offer teaching opportunities for young students.

Since National Arts Advocacy Day on April 8-9,  Senator Angus King, Jr. (I-ME) joined the bipartisan Senate Cultural Caucus. The Caucus is co-chaired by Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and currently has 33 members.