In its new report, Culture: Urban Future – Global Report on Culture for Sustainable Urban Development, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) makes the case for culture as key to sustainable urban development and encourages city planning efforts that bring creativity and culture to bear in promoting diverse, safe and thriving cities.…
I delivered the following report to NASAA members on September 17, at the Closing Session of Assembly 2016 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. NASAA’s first meeting occurred on June 10, 1968, in San Francisco, California. Lyman Field was the first chairman of our Assembly; he was also chairman of the Missouri State Council on the Arts…
Rural communities exist in all states, and state arts agencies (SAAs) serve these communities in a variety of ways. Increasing citizen access to the arts, SAA grants invest in public programming available to all. Small towns and rural areas receive more than $35 million through more than 5,100 grants each year. Twenty-five percent of SAA…
On June 23, 2016, U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr., issued a key policy letter highlighting the importance of stakeholder engagement in the planning and implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Signed into law on December 10, 2015, ESSA creates a new federal-state partnership that supports a “well-rounded education” (the arts…
As I write this column, officials have shut down two iconic Paris museums, the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay. The flood level alert in Paris is at yellow and is expected to be upgraded to orange. The Seine River is still rising. In its emergency plan, the Louvre has 72 hours to remove artworks in…
Last month, NASAA provided written testimony to the congressional subcommittee responsible for the National Endowment for the Arts budget. It was another opportunity to reinforce to federal legislators the value that the arts endowment and state arts agencies bring to communities across the nation. I’d like to share it with you. Prepared Testimony To the…
I am exceedingly pleased to welcome back the Wisconsin Arts Board (WAB) as a member of NASAA! Led by Executive Director George Tzougros and Chairperson Kevin Miller, WAB is an exemplary model for state arts agencies. Its highly effective programs and services provide important arts opportunities within Wisconsin, and its board and staff are deeply…
You may know that the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) has four “satellite industry accounts” that are designed to expand the analytical capacity of the bureau’s national income and product statistics. The satellite accounts—transportation, health care, travel and tourism, and arts and cultural production—allow the BEA to focus on specific facets of nationwide economic…
I recently had the pleasure of attending Florida’s 2016 statewide arts conference, Convening Culture. The Florida Division of Cultural Affairs planned a smart agenda that both celebrated diversity and directly corresponded to key issues within the agency’s new strategic plan. While in attendance I had the opportunity to engage in a panel discussion about how…
Each year, state arts agencies (SAAs) invest nearly $70 million in arts education. Dedicated to facilitating children’s success in schools across America, SAAs invest in teacher training, curriculum development and in-school arts activities—all designed to foster young imaginations and nurture critical thinking and the communications and creativity skills necessary for 21st-century success. As the education…
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