News Room
Read the latest arts news
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We are excited this week to have launched #ArtsCreateHope, a new social media campaign designed to remind the public that the arts are essential to the fabric of our lives. We hope you will watch and share our short, uplifting video with your networks and friends, and please take to social media to share your stories of how the arts create hope for you. We could all use a little lift from each other!
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Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch was named to the 2020 NPT Power & Influence Top 50, an annual list in its 23rd year highlighting the nonprofit sector’s top working executives for innovation and influence on the broader sector. This is the sixth year Lynch has been recognized by the publication for his leadership for Americans for the Arts. He was previously recognized in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2019.
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The Smithsonian, National Archives, and Library of Congress have launched a social media campaign for the month of August, #19SuffrageStories, to bring stories of suffragists and their fight for voting rights to social media. The campaign marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment and features stories of suffragettes who often have been overlooked.
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Dr. Elizabeth Alexander is the President of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the country’s largest funder of arts and culture. This year, they’re working with a grantmaking budget of $500 million, every dollar of which will go towards social justice projects. On the NBC news podcast “Into America,” host Trymaine Lee spoke with Alexander about pain, philanthropy, and poetry.
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As we close out July and begin to round the corner toward the end of summer, things are heating up on the arts advocacy front. Congress is currently negotiating a new coronavirus relief bill, and two letters asking for relief for the arts went to Capitol Hill this week: one signed by one of our longest-standing strategic partners, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and another led by our Artists Committee and signed by more than 260 artist advocates.
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More than 260 artists and creative economy leaders signed on to a relief advocacy letter sent to top leaders in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, including Annette Bening, Tony Bennett, Josh Groban, Vijay Gupta, Moisés Kaufman, Jeff Koons, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Gabourey Sidibe, Holland Taylor, and Alfre Woodard.
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Americans for the Arts and the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) today announced that Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe (R-MO) is the recipient of the 2020 Public Leadership in the Arts Award for State Arts Leadership. The annual award honors a public official who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advancement of the arts at the state/territory level. Kehoe received his award at this year’s NLGA annual meeting which was held virtually.
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The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) recently adopted a resolution supporting the arts and culture sector amid the COVID-19 crisis.
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Cultural equity is at the heart of this week's roundup. Read on to learn more about Eddy Kwon, a musician whose work is centered in equitable community development; to meet this year's Diversity in Arts Leadership interns; to explore self advocacy and self care for artists and administrators of color; and to see how civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis was true champion of the arts.
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The coronavirus has had a devastating impact on America’s arts sector. Nationally, financial losses to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations are an estimated $9.1 billion as of July 13, 2020, and 62% of artists have become unemployed. An analysis by Americans for the Arts reveals the how the arts and creative economy sector performed in securing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.
