Deepening Cross-sector Collaborations within Government
Earlier this year, NASAA invited state arts agency (SAA) executive directors and National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chair Maria Rosario Jackson to come together to begin a discussion about advancing arts based cross-sector collaborations within government—at the federal, state and jurisdictional levels. We asked ourselves: how do we build sustainable opportunities for the arts […]
State Arts Agency Leaders Featured on Arts Engines
For my NASAA Notes column this month, I am pleased to share this space with our incomparable board chair and former chair of the Michigan Arts and Culture Council, Omari Rush. In addition to his ongoing service chairing NASAA’s board of directors and Executive Committee, Omari recently had the opportunity to join Aaron Dworkin for […]
Are You Ready If Disaster Strikes?
As I write, I’m thinking about recent devastating weather events and their impact on arts communities and communities generally. As our friends in rain-soaked parts of California and the tornado-stricken areas of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia determine how best to move forward, I know that state arts agencies are showing up for their communities dealing […]
Tools for State Advocates
With state legislative sessions in full swing across the country, advocacy is top of mind for state arts agencies (SAAs) and citizen advocates. To help your advocacy practices take flight and advance arts policy, NASAA continues to create and update a variety of tools designed to support state level work. I’m happy to share a […]
Proven Tool to Advocate for Arts and Creativity
In recent weeks, a number of state arts agency leaders and advocates have taken time to let me know that NASAA’s advocacy messaging guide is proving quite productive for their work. I really appreciate the feedback for a couple of reasons. First, I want all our resources to help gainfully advance and strengthen the work […]
Puerto Rico Welcomed to Mid Atlantic Arts Region
Last month, I was invited to speak at the signing of the partnership memorandum of understanding between the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and Mid Atlantic Arts, one of the nation’s six regional arts organizations. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) hosted the official event in Washington, D.C. It’s an honor to be here […]
Brimming with Gratitude
As I settle into the holiday season, I am brimming with gratitude for the many contributions state arts agencies provide. Whether contributing to communities, the arts field or each other, state and jurisdictional arts agencies (SAAs) are ensuring that towns, rural and remote regions, and larger cities have access to the many benefits of the […]
NASAA CEO Address to Members: Our NASAA Story Unfolds
NASAA President and CEO Pam Breaux addressed members at NASAA Assembly 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri, in September. Hello, everyone! Welcome back to being in each other’s good company—in person. Welcome back to assembling as a field of state, jurisdictional and regional arts agencies—a field that has accomplished mighty work since the last time we […]
How We’re Busy Beating the Heat
At NASAA we’re beating the heat this summer with a variety of activities designed to catapult our work on behalf of state arts agencies (SAAs). Here’s a glimpse of what we’re up to these days. With an eye toward fiscal year 2023, planning and budgeting is well underway. Driven by member aspirations and needs, a […]
Pacific Island Jurisdictions Partner with WESTAF
I’m so pleased to share that Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF), one of the nation’s six regional arts organizations, recently announced an important new partnership with our member agencies in the Pacific island jurisdictions. The partnership will expand networks and resources for artists and arts organizations in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas […]