Yes We Can! Good news from Americans for The Arts. On Feb, 07, I posted an appeal at ArtLOOK regarding support for the arts in the Economic Recovery Bill. As some of you may know, the Coburn Amendment attempted to ban certain arts groups from receiving economic funding under the Economic Recovery Bill. I'm happy to report that via a press release (Feb 13, 2009) from Americans in the Arts, the U.S. House of Representatives approved their final version of the Economic Recovery bill by a vote of 246-183. Americans for the Arts has confirmed that the package now includes $50 million in direct support for arts jobs through National Endowment for the Arts grants.
This is an important victory for all of you as arts advocates. More than 85,000 letters were sent to Congress, thousands of calls were made, and hundreds of op-eds, letters to the editor, news stories, and blog entries were generated in print and online media about the role of the arts in the economy. Artists, business leaders, mayors, governors, and a full range of national, state, and local arts groups all united together on this advocacy issue. This outcome marks a stunning turnaround of events and exemplifies the power of grassroots arts advocacy.
To read more about this visit ArtLOOK or Americans for the Arts.
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