As Congress and the Trump Administration prepare the federal budget for Fiscal Year 2018, Americans for the Arts is working to remind our elected officials about the economic importance of federal funding for the arts, specifically through the National Endowment for the Arts. This morning, ads appeared in the New York Post and The Hill newspapers with the bold headline “The Arts Put America to Work.”

Today, at an event held at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), part of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) announced the expansion of their partnership and military healing arts program into Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network. 

The second Roundtable of the National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military (NIAHM) was held on November 30 at Joint Base Myer Henderson Hall, Virginia to discuss how to bring greater access to the arts and creative arts therapies for military service members, Veterans, their families and caregivers.

On Tuesday, November 15, 2016, First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a reception and performance at the White House to honor the 2016 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award recipients.

Noah Scalin, artist and co-founder of Another Limited Rebellion, will be the first ever artist-in-residence at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business during the upcoming 2016–2017 academic year.

Americans for the Arts wants you to elect art professionals from the field to serve on one of four network advisory councils: Arts Education, Emerging Leaders, Private Sector, and

Americans for the Arts invites all Americans to celebrate October as National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM). Towns and communities across the country are hosting special events that capture the spirit that the arts and humanities bring to everyday life. 

The Veterans Curation Program (VCP) is a paid training and employment opportunity that provides veterans with tangible work skills and experience through the rehabilitation of archaeological collections owned by the US Army Corps of Engineers.  The Veterans Curation Program is seeking OEF and OIF veterans, veterans with service-connected disabilities, and other recently separated veterans for a paid training program to work as archaeological laboratory technicians at facilities in Alexandria, VA, Augusta, GA, and St. Louis, MO for the upcoming session, scheduled to begin in early November 2015.

Livability.com has just identified the top 10 best downtowns in America. Here is the list:

1.Pittsburgh, PA
2.Minneapolis, MN
3.Indianapolis, IN
4.Greenville, SC
5.Salt Lake City, UT
6.Alexandria, VA
7.Fargo, ND
8.Lincoln, NE
9.Somerville, MA
10.Evanston, IL

In developing the list Livability.com used the following criteria:

This morning, First Lady Michelle Obama joined the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Acting Director Maura Marx to present the 2015 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Ten institutions from across the country attended the White House Ceremony to be recognized for outstanding service to their communities. These organizations demonstrate significant impact and high quality of programs, services, and partnerships, and were selected among thirty finalists. Robert Lynch, CEO of Americans for the Arts, attended the ceremony today. 

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! 

Get the conversation about encouraging creativity and ensuring arts education in your community with a new series of videos by Americans for the Arts. These videos convey the stories behind importance of arts education, as told by children whose lives have been postiviely impacted by the arts. 

Following the retirement of John Bryan this past fall, CultureWorks recently announced that Scott Garka will take the reins as the new President on January 20, 2015. Though Garka does not come from the arts field (he is currently the Senior Director for Consulting Services with Virginia Health Quality Center), he is very active in the arts community as a board member and treasurer for the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen.

From December 1-5, the Veteran Artist Program (VAP) will hold an art exhibit in the Capitol sponsored by U.S. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. The VAP will bring 30 pieces of veteran artwork to the Senate Russell building to be displayed in the rotunda until Friday, December 5. Thirty pieces of work were selected from more than 400 submissions and 30 states. Artists from World War II to current conflicts are represented; showcasing the creative talent that veterans possess before, during, and after their military service.