With Heart, With Purpose, With Art

Here is our CEO’s annual message to members, delivered at NASAA’s annual business meeting on Wednesday, October 8.

Good afternoon, everyone, and good morning if you are in Hawaiʻi, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands or American Samoa. As I have learned from our Pacific island members, America’s day begins in Guam, and our colleagues in Guam and the Northern Marianas have already greeted Thursday morning.

It’s an honor to be with all of you today—among colleagues, collaborators and champions of the arts. And among friends. You, my friends, are the very heartbeat of public service in the cultural sector. And before anything else is said, I want to begin with a simple but important message: thank you.

Thank you for your tireless work. Thank you for your creativity. Thank you for your courage. At a time when public service is too often misunderstood, undervalued or even under attack, you show up. You show up with heart, with passion and with purpose. You serve not just your agencies, but your communities. You serve not just your states, but the very soul of this nation.

Public service is not for the faint of heart. This is especially true now. It demands resilience. It demands integrity. And in our field, it demands imagination. You bring all three—and much more—to the table every single day. You are artists of policy; you are architects of access and stewards of cultural vitality. You are public servants in the truest, most noble sense of the word.

Now, let’s talk about fiscal year 2025. It was not easy. We know that.

Legislative sessions were tough, as elected officials grappled with too many revenue unknowns. Federal relief programs that once buoyed our budgets have expired. Inflation stretched every dollar. Although baseline appropriations to state arts agencies are expected to remain fairly level in fiscal year 2026, in some states, arts funding was decreased considerably. The impacts are real. These are programs lost, partnerships paused and communities left waiting.

We also witnessed the unsettling and extensive budget and staff cuts at key federal agencies that support our work and the work of many arts and cultural organizations. The National Endowment for the Arts, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the National Endowment for the Humanities all faced existential threats. Although our primary focus is on the Arts Endowment, many of you are in partnerships with humanities, museums and libraries, and those cuts hurt, too. These challenges tested our resolve. They tested our creativity, and they tested our unity.

But here’s the remarkable part: you didn’t flinch. You innovated. You adapted. And you persisted.

Looking ahead, 29 state arts agencies reported projected increases for FY2026. That’s not just a statistic—it’s a testament to your advocacy, to your storytelling and to your ability to make the case for the arts. You leveraged data. You built coalitions. You reminded lawmakers that the arts are not a luxury—they are a necessity.

Regardless of your budget outlook, each of you deepened your commitment to all of the people of your states and jurisdictions. You expanded access. You made sure that the arts reached rural towns, urban neighborhoods, tribal lands, and everywhere in between. You didn’t just fund art. You funded community—in every sense of the word.

You also embraced technology. You reimagined grant making. You supported artists navigating new terrain. You helped arts and cultural organizations stay afloat, stay relevant and stay connected.

And perhaps most importantly, you reminded America that the arts are a source of healing. In a year marked by division and uncertainty, you offered unity and hope. You reminded us that creativity is a public good and that culture is a cornerstone of democracy. You reminded us that art is not just beautiful—it is also powerful.

So, where do we go from here? We go forward. We go boldly. We continue to advocate. We continue to innovate, and we continue to serve.

We must never forget that our work is about people. It’s about the children who discover academic success through art making. It’s about the older adults who find joy, wellness and engagement in painting classes and the veterans who heal through making pottery. It’s about the teachers who inspire by bringing poetry into the classroom, the community theatres that revitalize neighborhoods and towns, and the artists who dare to imagine a better world.

These are the lives you touch. These are the stories you shape. These are the reasons we all do what we do.

So let us recommit—to our mission, to our values and to each other.

Let’s lift each other up. Let’s celebrate each other’s wins. (I see you, Michigan, and we’re all celebrating your success right now!) Let’s share our lessons. Let’s be generous with our wisdom and fierce in our compassion.

Let us also remember that public service is not a burden—it is a privilege. And in the arts, it’s a sacred calling. You are not just arts administrators. You are cultural leaders. You are visionaries, and you represent the very best of government.

And I am so proud to stand with you.

Together, we will continue to build a nation where the arts are accessible to all, where creativity is nurtured, and where culture thrives. We will build a nation where every community—no matter its size, geography or demographics—has the opportunity to flourish through the arts.

Thank you for your service. Thank you for your spirit. Thank you for your belief in the transformative power of art.

Let’s keep going. Let’s keep creating. Let’s keep inspiring, with heart, with purpose and with art.

Before I depart, please allow me a moment to acknowledge and thank our talented team at NASAA. This was a big year for the team too, as we all embraced and embodied a new organizational structure. Team members learned new roles and lifted each other up, all while maintaining a sharp focus on serving members and responding to the challenges we all faced this year. It’s a real honor to serve with Sylvia, Ryan, Kelly B, Niki, Isaac, Eric, Shaun, Katie, Kelly L, Meghan, Susan, Nakyung, Mohja, Dora, Amari, Sue and Marisa.

With an embarrassment of riches, we were privileged to work with the most incredible board of directors. The NASAA board represents each of you, and it has done so beautifully under the leadership of Chair Donna Collins. Donna, thank you for always keeping members and mission right at the center of all our work. And to new Chair David Platts, I’m looking forward to being your partner in service to America’s 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies.

Thank you, everyone, for your time today, and for your stewardship of our National Assembly of State Arts Agencies.