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For Immediate Release

(Concord, NH) ArtsVoteNH, a nonpartisan primary project, has been traveling the state to secure bold, new policy proposals in support of the arts and arts education in America from candidates in the 2008 presidential primary. Since officially launching in May, volunteers have met with candidates privately, at house parties and even received personal phone calls to discuss arts initiatives.

• On June 26, Marilyn Hoffman, chairman of New Hampshire Citizens for the Arts, received a phone call from Senator Hillary Clinton, Democratic presidential hopeful. On the phone, Clinton detailed her support of, and fundraising for, the arts, as well as her commitment to the arts as a necessity—not merely a luxury in modern society.
• On July 5, ArtsVoteNH Campaign Coordinator Suzanne Delle Harrison attended a WMUR "Conversation with the Candidate" taping and had the opportunity to ask Democratic presidential hopeful Governor Bill Richardson about how he would integrate the arts into his education policy. Richardson responded that while he wasn’t "artsy," he believed in the importance of arts education and its ability to make students more creative and improve learning in math and science.
• On July 7, Four ArtsVoteNH volunteers met with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Republican candidate in Concord to discuss his support of the arts and of arts education. Governor Huckabee, a bass guitar player, performed with his band, Capitol Offense.
• On July 13, ArtsVoteNH Coordinator Suzanne Delle Harrison met briefly with Senator Hillary Clinton at the invitation of her campaign after a rally held at Daniel Webster College in Nashua. Clinton expressed both her support for the arts and her desire to continue speaking about them along the campaign trail.

The ArtsVoteNH project was created by forming a partnership between the local, NH Citizens for the Arts, and the national, Americans for the Arts Action Fund, making this initiative a model in the arts advocacy movement. Volunteers can join ArtsVoteNH by contacting Suzanne Delle Harrison at 603-703-4414 or sdelle@artsvotenh.org. Volunteers are needed to attend house parties, write letters to the editors, and blog about meetings with candidates. For more information, please go to www.artsactionfund.org/artsvote.