Philanthropist, life-long friend of the arts, and proud Idahoan Velma Morrison died last week in Boise at the age of 92. A former board member of the American Council for the Arts, one of the founding organizations of Americans for the Arts, Morrison’s commitment to the arts in Boise was perhaps unparalleled.

In response to the South Carolina General Assembly's decisive action to override Gov. Nikki Haley's line-item veto of funding for the South Carolina Arts Commission, Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, issued the following statement:

"€œBy restoring $1.9 million in state funds to the the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC), the General Assembly has done what Governor Nikki Haley failed to do: uphold the state's long tradition of valuing its artists and arts organizations to enrich the lives of all South Carolinians.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Democratic National Convention Committee Co-Chair and Chairman and CEO of Duke Energy Jim Rogers have been added to the roster of speakers at the Americans for the Arts Action Fund ArtsSpeak event on September 4 at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

Americans for the Arts and Arts Action Fund President and CEO Robert L. Lynch gave the following statement on the Election Day results:

"On behalf of Americans for the Arts and the Arts Action Fund, I wish to congratulate President Barack Obama and all of the national, state, and local elected leaders across the country who won their elections last night.

White House

Americans for the Arts is deepening its services for the advancement of private sector support for the arts and arts education by more fully integrating the programs and administration of two of its divisions: the Arts & Business Council of New York, a division of Americans for the Arts since 2005, and the Americans for the Arts Private Sector Initiatives division.

On January 22, Americans for the Arts celebrated the inauguration of President Barack Obama, the success of ArtsVote2012, and the ongoing efforts of Americans for the Arts and the Americans for the Arts Action Fund to advance the cause of the arts and arts education with an intimate gathering of arts supporters and national arts leaders.

SphinxCon was created by the Sphinx Organization to convene a critical mass of performing arts leaders and practitioners on the topic of diversity and create a space for discussion and sharing. Leaders  at SphinxCon presented a broad view of how diversity is happening in all disciplines.

Bob Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, was interviewed by Jeffrey Brown last week for the PBS program NewsHour's Art Beat segment discussing how the federal government sequestration is affecting the arts in the United States.

Bob describes in detail how funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is leveraged across the country on a state and local level. They also talk about the history of funding for the NEA and President Obama's proposed FY2014 budget. See the full segment below:

Dear friends and colleagues,

As we continue to hear more news about the devastating tornado that passed through the town of Moore on the outskirts of Oklahoma City yesterday, we at Americans for the Arts send our thoughts and prayers to the artists, administrators, and all those affected.  When natural disasters strike, there is no way to fully comprehend or process the pain they inflict.

Sundance Institute and Americans for the Arts released a report based on findings from the annual National Arts Policy Roundtable (NAPR) led by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute founder and president, and  Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts.

The national winners of The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts Poster Design Competition 2013 traveled to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 19 to accept their scholarship awards at a Congressional Reception on Capitol Hill. Whitney Lanier of Statesboro, GA, was the grand prize winner in the high school senior category of the competition. She earned a full tuition scholarship to The Art Institute of Atlanta. Morgan Stevens of Athens, IL, was selected as the grand prize winner in the high school graduate category. She earned a $10,000 tuition scholarship to The Art Institute of St.

On August 8-10, Americans for the Arts partnered with the Aspen Institute Arts Program to convene the sixth annual Americans for the Arts Aspen Seminar for Leadership in the Arts. Every year, the seminar brings together a select group of 25-30 artists, philanthropists, corporate and foundation leaders, and arts practitioners in an engaged dialogue that explores how we can create a more vibrant role for arts and culture in American society.

October 1, 2014 marked the first day of National Arts and Humanities Month, and Americans for the Arts celebrated in formal fashion with the 2014 BCA10 Gala honoring this year's top 10 businesses partnering with the arts. Our list of 2014 BCA10 honorees can be found here - stay tuned for photos from the event!