CAA News Today

With a new administration and Congress, arts and humanities advocates must come together in full force to demonstrate a visible presence on Capitol Hill.

On March 19-20, 2001, Americans for the Arts will host the Arts Advocacy Day conference in Washington, D.C., which will bring together a broad cross-section of the United States’ national cultural organizations and grassroots arts leaders to underscore the importance of developing strong cultural public policies and appropriating long-term public funding for the arts, humanities, and arts education. On Monday, March 19, there will be advocacy training sessions in the afternoon, followed by the fourteenth Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy with the New York Times op-ed columnist Frank Rich at the Kennedy Center. On Tuesday, March 20, participants will make Congressional lobbying visits.

On March 27, 2001, the National Humanities Alliance will host Jefferson Day, a humanities advocacy event coinciding with the NEH’s annual Jefferson Lecture in Washington, D.C. This year’s speaker is noted playwright Arthur Miller. Jefferson Day will include a briefing session and Congressional lobbying visits.

As a cosponsor for both of these events, CAA will be in a position to help craft the advocacy message for the planned Congressional visits, as well as send a staff representative to meet with elected officials and other arts and humanities advocates. For more information on Arts Advocacy Day, please visit Americans for the Arts’ website at www.artsusa.org. For information on Jefferson Day, see the National Humanities Alliance’s website at www.nhalliance.org.