News Room
Read the latest arts news
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“Without the arts, without music, without dance, without drama, without photography, the civil rights movement would have been like a bird without wings.” These were the words the late Representative John Lewis of Georgia shared the many times he addressed crowds of arts advocates of all ages at Americans for the Arts’ annual Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. Americans for the Arts feels deep loss at the passing of Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights hero and a true champion for the arts, and we celebrate the vast contributions he made to our country.
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This week: read up on pay equity, community-focused public art, performance art as a catalyst for change, national partnerships that bring about local advocacy, and more. Plus, check out the brand-new Arts Education Action Kit, a free resource that provides tools so that anyone can become an arts education advocate.
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The process behind the NYC Black Lives Matter (BLM) street mural was just as important as the paint job. While some examples of public art in support of the BLM this summer have been powerful because of their timely reaction to current events, some communities are emphasizing the importance of taking the time to have community input before creating anything and to ensure that those involved with the public art projects are committed to the issue for which the art is seeking to promote.
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The kit features information on advocacy strategies, messaging, and research to improve the availability and quality of arts education in schools and communities. With these resources, anyone can become an arts education advocate and make the case for why arts education is essential.
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Thanks to the July 4th holiday weekend, our Weekly Web Roundup is super-sized this week! Catch up now on two weeks’ worth of news and blogs, and don’t miss the next DIAL.studio webinar series for young professionals: a “101” education on the history of arts administration and organizations.
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Matthew Cooper is one of the artists commissioned by the Arts Council of Indianapolis to create murals in response to the Black Lives Matter protests. Previously, Cooper worked with and studied under the artist ISH during the creation of his 2019 mural “Three Kings,” which was commissioned by Jiffy Lube of Indiana (a 2019 Arts and Business Partnership Awardee) as part of their mural project.
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Creative Forces®, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, presents “Advances in Creative Forces Clinical Research,” a virtual panel discussion and demonstration of the new online National Resource Center (NRC) on July 15, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. ET. This online resource will feature public materials for researchers and practitioners in the arts, health, and military and veteran care settings.
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New York City's budget plan for the 2021 fiscal year includes devastating cuts to art education in the city’s public schools, despite a celebrity-backed campaign, Arts are Essential, to keep funding in place. These funding cuts further deprive all students of receiving an equitable education through the public school system.
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Interviews with nine black artists and cultural leaders, described by The New York Times Style Magazine as being "a voice of this moment," discuss their work and personal experiences about being black, and creating and showcasing their art in America. Amy Sherald, Michael R. Jackson, and others discuss the challenges and opportunities of cultivating black audiences and dismantling historically white institutions through their art.
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Americans for the Arts remembers arts leader and Chicago native Joan Small, who passed away last week. Joan served nearly two decades with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and was an Americans for the Arts Board Member from 1994 to 2008.
