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Arts Advocates gather in Speaker Pelosi's office during the National Arts Action Summit in Washington D.C.
March 2019

Dear Friends,

When was the last time you met with your representative and shared why you think the arts matter? Last week we participated in the National Arts Action Summit in Washington D.C. presented by Americans for the Arts . Brad Erickson, CFTA treasurer and Director of Theatre Bay Area and Executive Director Julie Baker led a delegation of ten eager advocates to eighteen meetings on Capitol Hill including a meeting in Speaker Pelosi’s office. We asked Congress to support an FY 2020 budget of $167.5 million (an increase of $12.5 million each) for both the NEA and NEH.
In addition, we asked our members of Congress to fully fund at $38.6 million the Office of Museum Services, support an appropriation of $40 million to fund the Assistance for Arts Education program and fully fund the Every Student Succeeds Act’s Well-Rounded Education Program and federal after-school programs.

We also introduced members to the CREATEact , intended to recognize artists, entrepreneurs and non-profit arts organizations as contributors to the small business community. We called attention to supporting the creative economy through federal programs and actions, a need for a universal charitable deductions, protecting net neutrality and supporting public broadcasting. We were encouraged by the reception we received on the Hill and celebrated that arts are a bip ART isan issue.
Not a claim most issues can make, especially now! 
There were many special moments over the two day summit but our highlights include a flawless lecture/performance by Rita Moreno, introduced by her friend Justice Sonia Sotomayer, visiting the Speaker’s office and meeting her brilliant legislative aides, gathering Arts Impact Stories from Congresswoman Jackie Speier and from Kendrick Davis, a legislative fellow in Senator Harris’ office. Davis recounted his childhood growing up in a low income neighborhood outside of Pittsburgh where he told us about his love for playing the trumpet in high school band. He reminded us why we must continue to fight for arts funding in schools and the public sector when he shared “No one could take the music away from me and the pathway it opened up for me for my future.” He concluded that his principal delivered the trumpet he still plays now to him before he left for college because she knew he could not afford one himself. This is the impact the arts make in our lives.
Justice Sonia Sotomayer introduces her friend
Rita Moreno at the Nancy Hanks Lecture.
Rita Moreno speaking at the
National Arts Action Summit in Washington D.C.
What do we need to do to make our case so legislators will listen?
Let’s start with the data. Nationally the arts are a $764 Billion dollar industry representing a 4.2% GDP share of the economy ahead of agriculture and transportation. In California, the U.S. Bureau of Analytics reports the arts & creative sectors contribute $176.4 billion and represent 7.1% share of GDP ahead of construction and education services. We know arts in communities, corrections, education, hospitals, transportation, housing, mental health and more makes a measurable and valuable impact on our economy and in our lives.

Want more specifics? Contact us and we can help provide data for your district and more.
How do we make the data “sing”?
We need to tell our stories and share the emotional and transformative impact the arts make in order to effectively advocate for increased public funding for the arts. Got a compelling video or narrative about your public arts program?

Share your “ Arts Impact Story ” and answer:

How has having access to public funding helped an arts program, artist or organization make a difference in your community?

How can the arts create a meaningful outcome on some of our state’s most pressing issues?

Your submission will help us bring public awareness of the importance of the arts; to ensure that the arts are an ongoing part of the public dialogue.

 
WATCH
Congressworman Jackie Speier shares her Arts Impact Story.
WATCH
 Kendrick Davis, Legislative Fellow, office of Senator Kamala Harris shares his Arts Impact Story.
Join us in April as we launch the first annual
Arts, Culture & Creativity Month . Over 200 people are already registered to participate statewide and you should too! Let’s show our legislatures our political might and ensure the budget passes with the $10 million in increased permanent funding for the state arts agency. Don’t know what it means to be an arts advocate? Sign up for our FREE trainings across the state and our March 25th webinar . Soon the training materials will be available in Spanish too. 

Not sure how to participate? Check out our Ways to Engage guide . Don’t have the time to participate but want to support the efforts to make our case to legislators about the value and impact of the arts? Donate or become a sponsor of ACCM today.



Thank you for your passion and participation,
Julie Baker
Executive Director, CAA/CFTA
Victoria L. Hamilton
President of CAA/CFTA


A very special thanks to our
Arts, Culture & Creativity Month Sponsors!



In Partnership with
  • Write or Tweet to Senator Maria Elena Durazo and Assemblymember Jim Cooper chairs of the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees asking for their commitment to $10 million in increased permanent funding the California Arts Council (CAC). Need a template, we’ve got one for you!

Senator Maria Elena Durazo's contact: email | twitter: @MariaEDurazo
Assemblymember Jim Cooper contact: email | twitter: @AsmJimCooper | instagram: @asmjimcooper


  • Write your House Representative and two Senators to support funding the NEA and national arts-related issues.


  • Help repeal the unfair transportation tax on nonprofits:

[Senator’s Twitter Handle] The LIFT for Charities Act repeals an unfair and confusing tax on nonprofits and houses of worship - it's urgently needed for the sake of our communities and your constituents. Please co-sponsor S.632! @CalNonprofits @CAforthearts

Dianne Feinstein’s Twitter handle is @SenFeinstein
Kamala Harris’ Twitter handle is @SenKamalaHarris

SAVE THE DATE
Join us on April 23 for Arts, Culture & Creativity Advocacy Day at the Capitol in Sacramento as part of the month long celebration of Arts, Culture & Creativity Month! We will schedule your visits to your legislators. We just need you to register and show up!
Arts, Culture & Creativity Advocacy Day Schedule:

9:00 am - Land recognition and indigenous blessing by Native American artist Stan Padilla. Welcome from Senator Ben Allen and Assemblymember Kansen Chu

9:30 am - Noon Gather, network, performances and speeches

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm: Lunch

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Afternoon visits to legislator offices

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Reception

Schedule may be subject to change.
For a special hotel rate, contact ACCM@californiansforthearts.org






10 Reasons to Support the Arts in 2019


The arts are fundamental to our humanity. They ennoble and inspire us—fostering creativity, goodness, and beauty. The arts bring us joy, help us express our values, and build bridges between cultures. The arts are also a fundamental component of a healthy community—strengthening them socially, educationally, and economically—benefits that persist even in difficult social and economic times.

1.       Arts improve individual well-being . 69 percent of the population believe the arts “lift me up beyond everyday experiences,” 73 percent feel the arts give them “pure pleasure to experience and participate in,” and 81 percent say the arts are a “positive experience in a troubled world.”

2.       Arts unify communities . 72 percent of Americans believe “the arts unify our communities regardless of age, race, and ethnicity” and 73 percent agree that the arts “helps me understand other cultures better”—a perspective observed across all demographic and economic categories.

3.       Arts improve academic performance . Students engaged in arts learning have higher GPAs, standardized test scores, and college-going rates as well as lower drop-out rates. These academic benefits are reaped by students regardless of socio-economic status. Yet, the Department of Education reports that access to arts education for students of color is significantly lower than for their white peers. 91 percent of Americans believe that arts are part of a well-rounded K-12 education.

4.       Arts strengthen the economy . The production of all arts and cultural goods in the U.S. (e.g., nonprofit, commercial, education) added $764 billion to the economy in 2015, including a $21 billion international trade surplus—a larger share of the nation’s economy (4.2 percent) than transportation, tourism, and agriculture (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis). The nonprofit arts industry alone generates $166.3 billion in economic activity annually —spending by organizations and their audiences—which supports 4.6 million jobs and generates $27.5 billion in government revenue.

5.       Arts drive tourism and revenue to local businesses . Attendees at nonprofit arts events spend $31.47 per person, per event, beyond the cost of admission on items such as meals, parking, and babysitters—valuable commerce for local businesses. 34 percent of attendees live outside the county in which the arts event takes place; they average $47.57 in event-related spending. Arts travelers are ideal tourists, staying longer and spending more to seek out authentic cultural experiences.

6.       Arts spark creativity and innovation . Creativity is among the top 5 applied skills sought by business leaders, per the Conference Board’s Ready to Innovate report—with 72 percent saying creativity is of high importance when hiring. Research on creativity shows that Nobel laureates in the sciences are 17 times more likely to be actively engaged in the arts than other scientists.

7.       Arts drive the creative industries . The Creative Industries are arts businesses that range from nonprofit museums, symphonies, and theaters to for-profit film, architecture, and design companies. A 2017 analysis of Dun & Bradstreet data counts 673,656 businesses in the U.S. involved in the creation or distribution of the arts—4.01 percent of all businesses and 2.04 percent of all employees. (Get a free local Creative Industry report for your community here .)

8.       Arts have social impact . University of Pennsylvania researchers have demonstrated that a high concentration of the arts in a city leads to higher civic engagement, more social cohesion, higher child welfare, and lower poverty rates.

9.       Arts improve healthcare . Nearly one-half of the nation’s healthcare institutions provide arts programming for patients, families, and even staff. 78 percent deliver these programs because of their healing benefits to patients—shorter hospital stays, better pain management, and less medication.

10.    Arts for the health and well-being of our military . The arts heal the mental, physical, and moral injuries of war for military servicemembers and Veterans, who rank the creative arts therapies in the top 4 (out of 40) interventions and treatments. Across the military continuum, the arts promote resilience during pre-deployment, deployment, and the reintegration of military servicemembers, Veterans, their families, and caregivers into communities.
ARTS ADVOCACY TRAININGS
A series of Public Workshops
MARCH 2019
This April is the inaugural Arts, Culture & Creativity for the state of California! There will be events statewide advancing the arts, all leading up to the Advocacy Day on April 23.

Our Advocacy Trainings are free and open to the public to help empower and educate you to become an Arts Advocate not only in your local community, but on April 23 in Sacramento at the Capitol as part of your district delegation (we hope you can make it!).

Even if you can't attend on April 23, this Advocacy Training is a great resource to help you and your community members gain basic skills and knowledge as to how to best advocate for the arts in your city.

Go from being an Arts Supporter to an Arts Advocate!

Please join us and share with friends and family in the area!

San Jose
March 12, 6:00pm-8:00pm


Oakland
March 13, 5:00pm-6:30pm


Sacramento
March 18, 5:00pm-7:00pm


San Jose
March 19, 6:00pm-8:00pm
Grass Valley
March 20, 5:00pm-7:00pm


San Diego
March 21, 6:00pm-8:00pm


Arts Advocacy Training Webinar
March 25, 11:00am-12:30pm


Los Angeles
March 30, 10:00am-12:00pm
Don't see an Advocacy Training near you?
Join us from your home or office for our online
Arts Advocacy Training Webinar
March 25, 11:00am-12:30pm

Led by Californians for the Arts Executive Director Julie Baker and Advocacy Committee Chair Sofia Klatzker , this 90 minute training will equip you with tools to effectively communicate with your local, county and state representatives, give you other ways to engage in your community including sharing your Arts Impact Story, and inspire you to become an Arts Advocate.
Expressive Media in partnership with
UCLArts & Healing 3rd Annual
Expressive Therapies Summit
March 28 - 31, 2019
Hilton, Los Angeles Airport

Creativity & the Arts in Healing
Learn arts-based tools for facilitating communication, building connection, promoting positive emotions, fostering engagement, enhancing mindfulness, reducing stress, and managing the impact of trauma in our third annual experiential training conference from March 28 – 31 in Los Angeles, CA.


Prices vary
Do you have an upcoming event
that helps further our mission?

Event submissions are limited to California based events that are educational / action focused such as conferences, summits, initiatives, workshops and webinars, as well as events that further advance arts / artist advocacy on state and national levels.
Left to Right, Lita Reyes, Reyes Philanthropic Solutions, Brad Erickson, CFTA Treasurer,
Julie Baker, CFTA ED, Bob Lynch, AFTA President, Victoria Hamilton,CFTA Board President,
Nina Ozlu Tunceli, Executive Director, Arts Action Fund.

  • Do you believe arts being accessible for every Californian is imperative?

  • Do you feel California should be the leading creative state?

  • Do you think arts and artists can play a vital role in solving some of California’s greatest challenges?

  • Do you want to see funding to match these goals?


Then it is time to support Californians for the Arts,
your statewide arts advocacy organization.


As we gear up to actively work with a new administration to publicly fund the arts at historic levels and build our delegate programs with trainings across the state, your support for our organization is needed now more than ever. Please join online today!

Californians for the Arts is made possible by