CAA News Today
CAA at 2018 Arts and Humanities Advocacy Days in Washington, DC
posted by CAA — Mar 16, 2018
CAA staff in Washington, DC (left to right): Joelle Te Paske, media and content manager, Alison Chang, sponsorship and partnership manager, Aakash Suchak, grants and special programs manager, Hunter O’Hanian, executive director, and Nick Obourn, director of communications, marketing, and membership.
Earlier this week CAA staff traveled to Washington, DC for Americans for the Arts’s Arts Advocacy Day and National Alliance for the Humanities’s Humanities Advocacy Day.
After a day of breakout sessions and briefings on Monday, staff visited congressional offices on Tuesday to advocate for continued funding for NEA, NEH, IMLS, CPB, and support for the arts, humanities, and higher education. See our on-the-ground updates.
We visited 18 congressional offices representing three different states, with positive responses from both Democrats and Republicans. We meet with staff or dropped off materials with:
New York
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY 6th District)
Dropped off materials with Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY 7th District)
Dropped off materials with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY 8th District)
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY 9th District)
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY 10th District)
Dropped off materials with Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY 16th District)
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY 17th District)
Rep. Sean Maloney (D-NY 18th District)
Wisconsin
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI 2nd District)
Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI 7th District)
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI 8th District)
Connecticut
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Rep. John Larson (D-CT 1st District)
Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT 2nd District)
Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT 4th District)
Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT 5th District)
Learn more about Advocacy Days below.
ARTS ADVOCACY DAY
March 12 – March 13, 2018
Hosted by Americans for the Arts
Arts advocates from across the country convene in Washington, DC for Americans for the Arts’s annual Arts Advocacy Day each year. Arts Advocacy Day brings together a broad cross section of America’s cultural and civic organizations, along with more than 700 grassroots advocates from across the country, to underscore the importance of developing strong public policies and appropriating increased public funding for the arts. Learn more.
HUMANITIES ADVOCACY DAY
March 11 – March 13, 2018
Hosted by National Alliance for the Humanities
Humanities Advocacy Day provides the opportunity to connect with a growing number of humanities advocates from around the country. Together, advocates will explore approaches to year-round advocacy on college campuses and in local communities while also preparing for Capitol Hill visits. On March 13, they will visit House and Senate offices to make a persuasive case for federal funding for the humanities. Learn more.
WHY DID CAA ATTEND?
For two years in a row, we’ve offered our complete and total opposition to efforts to eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and other domestic programs that fund education, arts, and humanities initiatives, as outlined in the 2018 and 2019 White House budget proposals.
Over the last year, we’ve also solicited feedback from our members on a variety of issues that impact the arts, humanities, and higher education, including:
- Gun control and the proposal to arm teachers
- Tax reform and its effect on higher education
- Embracing and supporting diverse voices in the arts
- Hiring standards for part-time faculty
- Removing or preserving Confederate monuments
- The Muslim Travel Ban
For more on our advocacy efforts, click here.
We encourage you to be vocal about your support for the arts and humanities. Click here to access the CAA Arts and Humanities Advocacy Toolkit.