press room

For Immediate Release

(Washington, DC) Americans for the Arts Action Fund today launches a new, national initiative designed to promote the arts during the 2008 presidential campaign.  ArtsVote2008 seeks to secure bold, new policy proposals in support for the arts and arts education in America from candidates during the 2008 presidential campaign.  Americans for the Arts Action Fund is the nation’s only grassroots advocacy organization committed to ensure that candidates for the White House adopt thoughtful arts policies.

ArtsVote2008 officially launches today with an event in Concord, New Hampshire hosted by ArtsVoteNH, a partnership between Americans for the Arts Action Fund and New Hampshire Citizens for the Arts focused on bringing arts issues to the front lines of the New Hampshire primary.  Today, ArtsVoteNH hosts a forum on arts policy and the presidential candidates.  This event allows New Hampshire voters who support the arts, arts education, cultural diplomacy, and the creative economy to learn about how the candidates support the arts, and hear from and ask questions by campaign representatives.  The event is free and open to all New Hampshire voters that support the arts.  For more information, go to www.artsvote.org.

At the ArtsVoteNH event, leaders from The United States Conference of Mayors are unveiling the Conference’s plan for strengthening cities in 2008, which will include supporting investments in the arts and culture in our nation’s metro areas.

As part of its ArtsVote2008 initiative, Americans for the Arts Action Fund offers citizens the following resources to promote the importance of the Arts:

• Release of a first-ever 10-point Pro-Arts Policy Brief for the 2008 Presidential Election—outlining 10 public policy concerns, how they relate to the arts, and thoughtful proposals to address them;
• The national debut of the ArtsVote Action Center  where Americans can send a customizable letter and tell the presidential candidates directly that they support the arts; and
• As the presidential election continues, ArtsVote2008 will share details of each of the candidates’ platforms and arts-related activities with the public in order to inform voting Americans.

Important partnerships, events, and initiatives as part of ArtsVote2008 will be announced leading up to the election.  Some activities planned thus far include:

• ArtsVoteIowa—a partnership between Americans for the Arts Action Fund and the Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance.  An event is planned for December 2 where candidates can participate in a roundtable discussion with local cultural leaders in Cedar Rapids, IA;
• Partnerships with arts advocacy organizations to raise visibility of the arts community in the South Carolina Primary and Nevada Caucus;
• Fielding of Presidential Candidate Surveys;
• The 2008 Congressional Arts Report Card based on 110th Congress voting records (as done by the Arts Action Fund for the 109th and 108th Congresses);
• Arts Policy Events at the GOP and Democratic National Conventions next summer;
• Consideration of an Arts Action Fund endorsement of a presidential candidate; and
• Continue to make Arts Action Fund PAC contributions to Congressional candidates in support of the arts.