Date: November
2, 2006
To: Congressional
Staff
From: Americans for the Arts
Americans for the Arts and its Arts Action Fund are pleased to send you this pre-election Arts Policy Update. It is designed to provide timely and relevant information to congressional staff who are working on arts and arts education issues. The update is published six times throughout the year and periodically for breaking news items. Click here for archives.
This information is drawn from legislative news placed on our Congressional Resource Website, which is updated regularly with comprehensive and timely information, ranging from arts-related legislation to economic data and Congressional Arts Caucus activities. We encourage you to visit the website often for updates.
CONTENTS
CONGRESSIONAL ARTS CAUCUS NEWS
ARTS ELECTION NEWS
ARTS LEGISLATION NEWS
ARTS RESEARCH NEWS
CULTURAL AGENCIES & OTHER ARTS NEWS
ABOUT US
Senator Norm Coleman, co-chair of the Senate Cultural Caucus recently circulated a Dear Colleague regarding an increase in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts - see item below. The caucus, formed last year, has 31 members and is co-chaired by Senators Kennedy (D-MA), Enzi (R-WY), Jeffords (I-VT), and Coleman (R-MN).
The Congressional
Arts Caucus has 192 members and is co-chaired by Representatives
Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Chris Shays (R-CT).
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ARTS ACTION FUND PAC PUBLISHES CONGRESSIONAL ARTS REPORT CARD
Americans
for the Arts Action Fund PAC has released its Congressional
Arts Report Card for the 2006 campaign cycle. The guide
contains a detailed record, including a numerical score and
letter grade based on numerous arts and arts education issues
for each House member of the 109th Congress.
On Tuesday, October 31, Roll Call published an article, "As Midterms Near, Arts PAC Issues Report Card" about this timely report.
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ARTSLEGISLATIONNEWSSENATE DEAR COLLEAGUE CIRCULATED ON NEA FUNDING
Senate Cultural Caucus Co-chair Norm Coleman (R-MN) has circulated a Dear Colleague regarding increasing funding to the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities in the FY 2007 Interior Appropriations bill. As of this publishing, 41 Senators had signed the Dear Colleague letter. Please contact Rachel Gustafson of Senator Coleman's staff at 4-5641 if you would like to sign the letter.
Currently, the Senate Interior appropriations bill is on hold, awaiting floor consideration during the post-election session. The bill level funds the NEA and the NEH, but arts advocates are seeking an increase of $10 million for each agency which would provide a slight increase to grant programs after accounting for inflation and administrative cost increases.
The House Interior appropriations bill was approved on May 15, and included an amendment by the Congressional Arts Caucus to increase funding by $5 million each to the NEA and the NEH, which would bring them up to $129.4 million and $146 million respectively.
Click here for more information, or contact Andy Finch.
NEW FEMA AUTHORIZATION MAKES ARTS ORGANIZATIONS ELIGIBLE FOR DISASTER ASSISTANCE
Through the passage of the FY 2007 Homeland Security Appropriations bill (H.R. 5441) - signed into law on October 4, 2006 - Congress fixed a problem that last year's hurricanes exposed in dramatic and tragic form. The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act contained language broadening the definition of entities eligible for FEMA emergency assistance to include performing arts facilities. Under existing FEMA regulations, nongovernmental performing arts facilities were not eligible for assistance, unlike museums and historic sites.
Following appeals by a broad range of nonprofit organizations, including arts organizations, Congress has stepped in with a new definition of eligibility. Simply stated, the new definition covers performing arts facilities and community arts centers that provide "essential services of a governmental nature to the general public." The chief sponsor of the new provision was Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI). FEMA will make decisions on a case-by-case basis; arts organizations will not qualify automatically, but their applications will now be considered.
Click here for more information, or contact Andy Finch.
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ARTSRESEARCHNEWSNEA
ISSUES REPORT ON LINK BETWEEN ARTS AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
The
study, The
Arts and Civic Engagement: Involved in Arts, Involved in Life,
reveals that people who participate in the arts also engage
in positive civic and individual activities -- such as volunteering,
going to sporting events, and outdoor activities -- at significantly
higher rates than non-arts participants. The study measures
the connection between arts and civic engagement, which can
be defined as promoting a positive quality of life through
individual and group activities.
NEA
ISSUES REPORT ON CONSUMER SPENDING IN THE ARTS
The
National Endowment for the Arts Office of Research & Analysis
has recently released a report titled "Consumer
Spending on Performing Arts." Using data from
the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Bureau of Labor Statistics
2004 Consumer Expenditure Study, the report examines consumer
expenditures on arts performances in 2005.
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CULTURALAGENCIES&OTHERARTSNEWSNEA
President Bush Welcomes National Arts & Humanities Month
President Bush kicked off October with his annual letter to the public to celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month. In the letter, he stated that "the arts and humanities are an important part of our national heritage and a source of great pride and pleasure for people throughout our country. They convey the diversity of the human experience and help us to explore different ideas and emotions. This month is an opportunity to celebrate the individuals whose talent and originality elevate our culture and lift our spirits.
President Bush Nominates Chairman Gioia for Second Term
On September 28, 2006, President Bush sent the nomination of Chairman Dana Gioia to the Senate requesting that he serve a second term as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Laura Bush Visits Arts Program in Tennessee, Shows Support for NEA
The First Lady Laura Bush showed her support for the NEA during her recent visit to the Communications Through Art Program in Knox County, Tennessee. The First Lady described the program as "people work to reach out to young people, to help young people build the self-esteem and the knowledge they need to avoid risky behaviors and steer their life toward a successful life," and added "I'm a particular fan of the National Endowment for the Arts." The program began with a grant from the NEA.
NEA Announces "The Big Read" Grants in 72 Communities
The National Endowment for the Arts this week announced that 72 organizations will receive grants to support Big Read programs between January and June 2007. The Big Read is a new national program by the NEA, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest, that encourages literary reading by asking communities to come together to read and discuss one book. The organizations selected to participate in The Big Read will receive grants ranging from $5,000 to $40,000 to promote and carry out month-long, community-based programs.
Click here for recent NEA grants.
USED
Department
Names Blue Ribbon Schools, Five Have Arts Focus
The U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon award recognizes
schools that make significant progress in closing the achievement
gap or whose students achieve at very high levels. The schools
are selected based on achievement. Five schools were selected
that have an arts-related focus:
1. Orange County High School of the Arts, Santa Ana, CA
2. Savannah Arts Academy, Savannah, GA
3. Capitol Hill Gifted & Talented Magnet School, St. Paul,
MN
4. New Visions Museum School of Exploration & Discovery,
Freeport, NY
5. Emerson World Languages & Cultures Elementary Magnet
School, Westerville, OH
6. Main Elementary School, Kodiak, AK
Secretary Spellings announced the 2006 Blue Ribbon Schools on September 22. A ceremony will be held in Washington, DC, on November 9-10. Two people from each school, the principal and a teacher, will be invited to the ceremony. The full list is available on the Department website.
NEH & IMLS
NEH and IMLS Sign Digital Partnership Agreement
Dr. Bruce Cole, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), announced recently that they will dedicate $1.5 million to Advancing Knowledge: The IMLS/NEH Digital Partnership. Through this new partnership, NEH and IMLS are joining together to help teachers, scholars, museums and libraries take advantage of developing technology. These new digital tools will aid in the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge about our past and our culture.
Click here for recent NEH grants.
Click here for recent IMLS grants.
STATE DEPARTMENT
Laura Bush Announces New Global Cultural Initiative
In September, First Lady Laura Bush presided over an event at the White House highlighting the importance of international cultural exchange. Described by the White House as a "major new initiative," the Global Cultural Initiative promotes the international cultural efforts of the National Endowment for the Arts, the State Department, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Kennedy Center, and the American Film Institute.
The initiative gathers current private and federal efforts under a single thematic umbrella. The State Department has operated cultural exchange programs for many years, but they atrophied after the Cold War. Americans for the Arts lobbies to increase funding for the State Department programs, and they have more than doubled in the past three years. Nevertheless, State Department annual funding in this area still totals only about $5 million.
Americans for the Arts
Americans for the Arts Delegation Meets with The NCLB Commission
During the last year, the Aspen Institute has run a blue-ribbon panel called The Commission on No Child Left Behind, which has held numerous public hearings and roundtables to gather data and feedback to report to Congress. Because none of the hearings included any substantial information on arts education, we alerted arts advocates and asked them to provide feedback through the commission's website. More than 1,500 responded with eloquent personal messages, which were also sent to their respective members of Congress, constituting about 20 percent of all public feedback on all issues to the commission. As a result, Americans for the Arts was invited to meet formerly with the commission on September 26 to discuss the state of arts education in America's schools.
The Americans for the Arts panel consisted of Ayanna Hudson Higgins, the director of Arts Education at the Los Angeles County Arts Commission; Terry Peterson, the chairman of the Afterschool Alliance; Nancy Ray, a teacher in the Meridian, MS, School District and finalist for Mississippi Teacher of the Year; Debora Hansen, an arts education specialist with the Delaware Department of Education and secretary of the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education; and Nina Ozlu, chief counsel at Americans for the Arts.
The delegation addressed four areas: In spite of the arts being named a core academic subject under NCLB, access to arts education in our schools is eroding. A report from the Center for Education Policy concludes that, since the enactment of NCLB, 22 percent of school districts surveyed have reduced instructional time for art and music. It is believed that this is because preparation for math and reading testing is commanding more and more time in the school day
The group also spoke about how the arts can help close the achievement gap by leveling the "learning field," especially in high-poverty schools and how arts education can help to retain teachers by transforming schools with an infusion of arts into the curriculum. Lastly, the group called on the commission to join education leaders in Congress by directing the U.S. Department of Education to fulfill its research obligations and administer the Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) and the NAEP in arts education -- these are essential measures that will help guide education policy decisions.
The Commission has finished its public hearings and is now reviewing the information and research they have gathered and will issue a final report in early 2007. For further details of the event, pictures are available online and the article "Keeping Art Alive Under NCLB" is on the Education World website.
Click here for more information, or contact Narric Rome.
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ABOUTUSFor more information about Americans for the Arts or the Arts Action Fund, please visit our websites. For further inquiries about arts policy or the information in this newsletter, please contact our Federal Government Affairs staff:
Narric Rome
Director, Federal Affairs
T 202.712.2060
Andy Finch
Senior Director, Government Affairs
T 202.712.2059
Nina Ozlu
Chief Counsel for Government & Public Affairs
Executive Director, Arts Action Fund
T 202.371.2830
This update will be published six times
throughout the year and for breaking news.
If you would like to be removed from our mailing list, please
e-mail Narric Rome.