Americans for the Arts News - 2021
Read the latest arts news
Americans for the Arts mourns the loss of ballet dancer Jacques d’Amboise, who passed away Sunday, May 2 at the age of 86. He was a prolific dancer, an arts education advocate, and a member of Americans for the Arts’ Artists Committee since 2004.
This week: Explore with us the work of Indigenous artist Luzene Hill, consider with us the opportunities in using technology to bring public art to people during a pandemic, and join us in saying goodbye to philanthropist Eli Broad.
This week: Funding news from the NEA, chambers of commerce ask Congress to support creative economy recovery, creating arts spaces for queer BIPOC during COVID, a webinar on creative placemaking, our latest Member Spotlight, ways to build long-term organizational stability, and a new program providing support for our ArtsU digital programming.
Building on two previous letters of support for relief and recovery efforts to help the arts, culture, and the creative sector, a coalition of 113 chambers of commerce in 46 states delivered a letter to U.S. House and Senate leadership asking that $18 billion be allocated within the forthcoming infrastructure recovery bills specifically to support creative economic recovery. Signatories come from chambers in communities of all sizes and geographies and collectively serve over 33 million Americans.
The ArtsU Support Program is a new initiative designed to increase equitable access to live and on-demand ArtsU digital activities. The program is open for anyone to participate in any public ArtsU webinar and other events.
Enjoy this week’s blogs, news, and webinar replays on topics ranging from fundraising, cultural equity and access, and the inclusive creative economy to arts and business partnerships, public art, and funding for the National Endowment for the Arts—plus, learn how to make our Local Arts Agency Dashboard work for you.
Just as local arts agencies act as voices and conveners for their arts and culture communities, so do local chambers of commerce for their business communities. Partnerships between the two are essential to community and economic development. But where to start? Register for our new 101-level, on-demand webinar series that aims to flip the conversation away from “business support for the arts” to “how and why the arts are an essential part of business and community development strategies.”
Americans for the Arts is pleased to introduce our new online glossary of terms and definitions related to the inclusive creative economy, and a full website of resources, information, and action related to developing an inclusive creative economy.
This week: we launched registration and opened scholarships to the 2021 Annual Convention, dove into arts policy and issues at the state and local levels, explored the importance of intersectionality in anti-racism work, reminded ourselves why creative employees make the best employees, and shined the spotlight on one of our dedicated members.
The 2021 Annual Convention is our opportunity to gather and reimagine our creative field and communities. Registration is now open to attend the virtual conference happening June 8-11, 2021.
