News: Advocacy Messaging Guide, SAA Seats on AEP Advisory Council

I am pleased to share two exciting updates with you that will help to amplify the benefits and value of the arts and state arts agencies.

We have launched a new messaging guide that is custom-made for our field: Arts and Creativity Strengthen Our Nation. This guide is the result of NASAA’s journey to advocate more effectively across the political spectrum. It contains messages proven to be effective in motivating your elected officials—whether progressive, centrist or conservative—to support public funding for the arts.

Developed using research and testing with policymakers, the guide was created by a nationally recognized communications firm with special expertise in the science of framing messages to build public will.

Arts and Creativity Strengthen Our Nation contains specific language recommendations, sample narratives, and insights into how advocates can hone our arguments to broaden support for the arts and position the arts as a necessity. The guide includes fresh perspective on what messages appeal to lawmakers, as well as advice on how to adjust the framing of tried-and-true arguments about the economic, educational, health and civic benefits of the arts.

Here are a few of the ways you can use the new guide:

Consult it as you prepare for conversations with governors, legislators and partner agencies in state government.
Share it with arts advocates in your state. (This short URL might be useful in your communications: https://bit.ly/3ig6oki.)
Use the guide for inspiration when preparing key communications, such as agency impact statements, budget justifications or strategic plans.
Refer to the guide when orienting staff, council members or partners to the work of your agency and why it is important.

On our resources page, NASAA has prepared a couple of one-pagers derived from the new guide that will come in handy:

How to Talk about Public Funding: a structured set of arguments emphasizing why government support is essential

The Core Message: an “elevator pitch” distilling five key message components

We’re confident these evidence based messages will resonate with policymakers and influencers across the nation.

Porché Hardy

Just as exciting, I’m also happy to bring you a special update about the Arts Education Partnership (AEP). For the first time ever, AEP’s Advisory Council now includes representation from the state arts agency arts education managers community. I’m pleased to share that Porché Hardy, program officer with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, is a new member of AEP’s Advisory Council, which exists to help inform and guide the work and outreach of AEP.

Porché is passionate about arts advocacy, equity in the arts, financial wellness, and public policy to serve New Jersey’s youth and arts community through nonprofit management and philanthropy. As program officer with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, she currently leads the arts education initiatives for the Council and manages a portfolio of grants representing performing arts presenters and arts education organizations.

Porché is an alumna of Rutgers University, where she studied sociology and economics, as well as classical music at Mason Gross School of the Arts. She’s also an alumna of the William Esper Studio, the Council of Urban Professionals, the Victoria Page 13 Emerging Leadership Program, and Leadership Newark. She serves as an advisor for the NJ Arts & Culture Administrators of Color Network, and is on the membership committee of the Council of NJ Grantmakers and the steering committee for NASAA’s Arts Education Working Group. An active member of her community, Porché served as the president of the Urban League of Essex County Young Professionals.

Porché will bring an important perspective to the AEP Advisory Council, and I’m delighted she’ll join me in bringing a state arts agency lens to the council. I know you’ll join me in congratulating Porché on assuming this role.

Additionally from AEP, please check out these new resources:

Arts Education Policy Trends to Look for in 2021 cites racial equity and justice, as well as uniting and healing through the arts, as national arts education trends to be aware of.
Also, AEP’s recent policy brief on juvenile justice, Expanding the Arts across the Juvenile Justice System, includes examples for building sustainable, arts based programming.