Next month members will have the opportunity to approve a new NASAA strategic plan and 2018 action plan. I couldn’t be more proud of the comprehensive and inclusive work performed by members of our Planning and Budget Committee, led by NASAA Treasurer Ken May, and shepherded by our board of directors. We set the stage…
What’s up at NASAA this summer? As summer in D.C. sizzles one day and drenches us the next, your NASAA team is laser-focused on representing the interests of state arts agencies (SAAs). Below you’ll find a selection of activities currently keeping us busy and beating the heat. While this month’s column by NASAA Legislative Counsel…
Public arts programming and funding occasionally faces crisis as well as controversy. That’s not especially new to state arts agencies. Addressing crisis and controversy productively is a fundamental challenge we face, and your team at NASAA is working to equip members to handle both. State arts agency (SAA) leaders will find a portion of this…
Last month, NASAA provided written testimony to the congressional subcommittees responsible for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) budget. This was an opportunity to reinforce to federal legislators the value that the NEA and state arts agencies bring to communities across the nation. more . . .
The NASAA Board of Directors is busy year-round on behalf of state arts agencies. We guide NASAA’s policy work, we keep tabs on the “state of the state arts agencies” and we help NASAA to stay responsive to the needs of the entire membership. I’d like to share a few highlights from our spring meeting, held recently…
As the federal transition continues, public discourse about the role of the federal government in the arts ecosystem reveals that there is much work to be done to satisfactorily lift up the public benefits achieved by government investments in the arts. As we collectively go about enabling effective arts programs and advocating for the arts,…
Part of the joy of working at NASAA is the opportunity to seek and develop new partnerships with the potential to positively and productively impact the work of state arts agencies (SAAs), and, by extension, communities across the country. To this end, I’m pleased to introduce you to RUPRI, the Rural Policy Research Institute. It’s the…
Recent headlines about the “recommendation” to eliminate the federal cultural agencies have understandably left many arts stakeholders panicked. This month’s Legislative Update recaps the current facts. Here I offer some thoughts about the opportunities and hazards inherent in this time of uncertainty. Arts advocacy is required every day of every year, not just when there’s…
Welcome to 2017! NASAA is working hard as state legislatures convene, Congress gets organized and we welcome a new administration to the White House. As we enter what promises to be a big year, there may certainly be advocacy challenges; however, let’s not forget that there are also opportunities to be created and seized as…
As our country experiences a heightened divide, many of us who work in the arts seek opportunities to inspire the compassion and empathy that will be needed for our communities to find pathways to healing and peace. Many of us also seek opportunities provided by the arts to assist communities in expressing and wrestling with…
1 / 3