After years of working with over 87 national arts and arts education organizations to follow Congress' attempt to reauthorize the Elementary & Secondary Education Act and to work toward several arts education legislative objectives, Americans for the Arts was proud to see that arts education was part of the Every Student Succeeds Act that President Obama signed into law on December 10, 2015.
As a member of the Independent Sector Board of Directors, President and CEO Bob Lynch attended the fall Independent Sector conference in Miami. He was also a conference panelist for a session called "Let the Arts Paint the Way to a Better Future," which brought together foundation, corporate and nonprofit perspectives to talk about improving communities through the arts.
As part of the National Endowment for the Arts 50th anniversary celebration, President and CEO Bob Lynch joined Chairman Jane Chu and fellow arts leaders at the White House with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for a night of inspiring performances recognizing the breadth and history of American art.
President and CEO Bob Lynch and several Americans for the Arts staff members were in Oklahoma City for the second New Community Visions Initiative Forum where regional participants representing many sectors gathered to discuss the future of communities and the role of the arts within them. They were also joined by Americans for the Arts Board of Directors member Margie Johnson Reese and former board member Ken Fergeson.
The third of several Americans for the Arts New Community Visions Initiative events where participants representing many sectors gathered to dicuss the future of communities and the role of the arts within in them took place in San Jose, CA.
On September 10th, in a ceremony at the White House, President Obama presented visual artist John Baldessari with the 2014 Medal of Arts for his contributions to the field. The National Medal of Arts is the highest commendation given to artists and arts patrons by the United States Government, and more about the awards can be found here. Mr. Baldessari is also a member of the Americans for the Arts Artists Committee and has been instrumental in many of our advocacy efforts.
While we were in Des Moines, my colleague, Nora, and I were able to spend some time with Americans for the Arts Business Committee for the Arts (BCA) Executive Board member John Pappajohn and his wife Mary. Mr. Pappajohn wrote a terrific article about the value of arts and business partnerships in the Des Moines Register in advance of the Iowa Arts Advocacy Caucus held in the city in August.
My partner Dianne and I slipped away to the Newport Jazz Festival for a weekend in August. While there, we were able attend an event honoring great jazz impresario George Wein. He founded the Newport Jazz Festival in 1954 and is still its president on the eve 90th birthday. I was at the the Newport Jazz Festival in 1969 and for several years around then and George Wein's work inspired me to get into the arts administration business, produce festivals, and embrace a career advancing support for artists and the arts. - BL
Brought together by a coalition that included Americans for the Arts, more than 170 of Iowa's top arts and culture leaders gathered at the State Historical Building of Iowa in Des Moines to learn more about the caucus process and 2016 presidentical canditates' position on the arts. President and CEO Bob Lynch also attended the full day training and talked about the value of engaging miltiary and veteran members of the community through the arts. Read the press release for the event here.
On July 29th and 30th, Americans for the Arts Board of Directors members Ramona Baker and Margie Johnson Reese will host President and CEO Bob Lynch at Goucher College where he will do a Q&A with students and teach a class on arts policy.
Each year, a small group of leaders is brought together to discuss strategy for a particular topic in the arts.
As a representative of the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board's Cultural and Natural Heritage Subcommittee, President and CEO Bob Lynch spoke to a gathering of senators and tourism leaders about the value of cultural and natural heritage to the national tourism strategy and the economy. In his presentation, he emphasized the importance of advocating for and investing in the national assets. Other presenters spoke further about the role of cultural and natural heritage sights in tourism and the means for funding them.
President and CEO Bob Lynch presented Governor John Hickenlooper with the 2015 National Award for State Arts Leadership during the luncheon. Governor Hickenlooper, also the former Mayor of Denver, is a long-time supporter of arts policy and economic impact.
Chicago welcomed the Americans for the Arts Annual Convention with open arms and a wonderful taste of its artistic and cultural richness. The theme of this year’s convention was empowerment through the arts, which was explored in various ways during each of the three plenaries and throughout many of the conversations that took place during breakouts. A record number of attendees joined us for preconferences, workshops, and convention sessions that explored how we can all work across sectors to advance the arts.
President and CEO Bob Lynch is serving his second term on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, a position appointed by the Secretary of Commerce. He is the Co-Chair of the Cultural and Natural Heritage Subcommittee, which provides recommendations on ways the Department of Commerce can increase international tourism through leveraging America’s cultural and natural treasures.
President and CEO Bob Lynch spoke about the future of the arts in the United States at this gathering of international arts leaders and scholars at the University of the Arts Zurich. He also joined discussions about the place of the arts in other countries and the different funding, policy, and strategic partnerships paths that others are exploring.
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