Member News and NASAA Resources

2024 Chair and Council Member Peer Group Sessions

Attention state arts agency chairs and council/board members! NASAA offers virtual gatherings that help you advance your leadership and connect you with your peers around the country. Our first Chair and Council Member Peer Group meeting this year is Wednesday, April 3, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern. The session is called “I’m Not Allowed to Advocate! How To Get It Done as a Gubernatorial Appointee” and focuses on how you can contribute to the advocacy efforts in your state. Hear from three of your fellow council members and bring your own questions and experiences! Register now to attend. Be on the lookout for communications with more details and future meeting dates and times. We hope you can join us for these gatherings.

New Resource on Council Roles

Serving on a state arts agency council is a unique opportunity to contribute to the creative sector as a policy leader, arts ambassador and advocate. To help council members make the most of their roles, About State Arts Agencies: Citizen Councils offers a succinct overview of the important work council members do. It clarifies the differences between public commissions and nonprofit boards and helps new council members learn what to expect during their term of service. Include this new NASAA piece in your onboarding and orientation materials.

The Federal-State Partnership in the Arts

Did you know that 40% of National Endowment for the Arts program funding is distributed to state and jurisdictional arts agencies and regional arts organizations? This federally mandated allocation helps federal funds reach more communities and helps those funds be responsive to their unique needs. NASAA’s updated policy brief, The Federal-State Partnership in the Arts, details the reach of combined federal and state arts funding and the benefits accrued by every state, jurisdiction and region—including providing rural, high-poverty and other underserved populations access to the benefits of arts and creativity.

Strengthen Your Voice

Your voice matters! And NASAA’s advocacy work amplifies your voice. On Capitol Hill, we represent your interests and make sure your voice is heard in Congress. At home, we help you make the most convincing case for arts funding in your state with customized research, targeted data and messaging strategies. NASAA depends on individual contributions to do our advocacy work (we don’t use member dues or federal funding), which is why your generosity is so special and impactful. Please give today—your support makes it possible for NASAA to empower you and all state arts agencies. Thank you!

NASAA Leadership Awards Nominations: Stay Tuned…

The call for nominations for NASAA’s 2024 Leadership Awards kicks off in a few weeks and we’re looking forward to showcasing some of the incredible work in our field. NASAA’s four national awards honor excellent leadership and exceptional diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts of state arts agencies and regional arts organizations. Keep an eye out for the chance to nominate your state’s, jurisdiction’s or region’s outstanding leaders and DEI work!

Uniquely Human Abilities: Awareness, Compassion and Wisdom

Artificial intelligence (AI) is on our minds a lot these days—there are tremendous possibilities and major concerns as we figure out what it means, when and how to use it, and its impact on the workplace. An article published in Harvard Business Review, The Best Leaders Can’t Be Replaced by AI, explores some areas where AI is surpassing human capabilities as well as several areas that AI can’t replace. Based on the authors’ research into employees’ comfort with AI in management, as well as their decades of research on the traits of effective leadership, their findings identify both the potential and the hazards of AI-enabled management. The authors also identify three uniquely human capabilities—awareness, compassion and wisdom—that leaders need to hone as AI begins to influence management practices.

Mindfulness meditation can be an effective way to strengthen awareness, compassion and wisdom. To support state arts agency staff and council members’ leadership and well-being, NASAA offers short meditations three times a week. Chief Advancement Officer Laura Smith, a certified meditation teacher, leads these 15-minute Zoom sessions (camera-free), and all are welcome to attend. Reach out to Laura via email or phone at 202-347-7066 for more info or to be added to the email list.