Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.Con.Res. 275, legislation designating the second week of September as “Arts in Education Week.” Authored and introduced by California Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA), this resolution is the first Congressional expression of support celebrating all the disciplines comprising arts education. This is a very positive showing of support for arts education and comes at a key time when Congress is making plans to overhaul federal education policy. 
  
The resolution seeks to support the attributes of arts education that are recognized as instrumental to developing a well-rounded education such as creativity, imagination, and cross-cultural understanding. H.Con.Res. 275 also highlights the critical link between those skills and preparing our children for gaining a competitive edge in the global economy. This is an important message for policy makers to acknowledge as they prepare to reauthorize federal education policy. To send a message to your member of Congress in support for arts education, please visit our E-Advocacy Center.

As a House resolution, the bill does not require signature by the President upon its passage. You can read the resolution here.

Americans for the Arts is planning an Arts Education Blog Salon for the celebratory week. The Americans for the Arts Action Fund’s 50 States 50 Days initiative will also be a way underway during this time. Resources on the Arts Action Fund website help arts advocates to use their arts institutions at home to convey their message about the arts in a setting that reinforces themes of economic development; jobs in the arts; arts education; and partnerships between artists, institutions, and local policymakers.

We realize that September 12 is right around the corner, so please get the word out to make the first Arts in Education Week a successful one!

For contact details and applications click here

Americans for the Arts is back on MTV’s 44 ½ to find out why the arts matter to you! The Why Arts Matter Video Contest call for proposals ad will be running on the MTV 44 ½ screen located in Times Square from Monday, July 19 through Sunday, July 25. Those of you in New York City can see the ad being playing :10, :20, :30, :40 minutes after the hour every hour. The MTV 44 ½ screen is directly across from the MTV studios.

Why Arts Matter Video Contest is created in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Americans for the Arts. Join us in celebrating the arts in America by creating a video that tells “Why the Arts Matter” to you!

To find read about contest rules and submission details please visit the Why Arts Matter Video Contest website.

For contact details and applications click here

Americans for the Arts is back on MTV’s 44 ½ to find out why the arts matter to you! The Why Arts Matter Video Contest call for proposals ad will be running on the MTV 44 ½ screen located in Times Square from Monday, July 19 through Sunday, July 25. Those of you in New York City can see the ad being playing :10, :20, :30, :40 minutes after the hour every hour. The MTV 44 ½ screen is directly across from the MTV studios.

Why Arts Matter Video Contest is created in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Americans for the Arts. Join us in celebrating the arts in America by creating a video that tells “Why the Arts Matter” to you!

To find read about contest rules and submission details please visit the Why Arts Matter Video Contest website.

For contact details and applications click here

Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, interviewed Redford at an event on June 24 at the Philadelphia Theater Company presented by the Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia (an affiliate of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce) and professional services company Towers Watson. Redford spoke about his childhood, his business experiences and the importance of creativity in business.

For contact details and applications click here

Baltimore, MD — June 30, 2010 — More than 1,000 arts professionals, elected officials, community leaders, artists, educators, students, and corporate and foundation leaders gathered from June 25-27 in Baltimore, Maryland for the Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit, the organization’s 50th Anniversary Annual Convention. The Summit featured a number of high-level speakers and presenters including Robert Redford, award-winning actor and arts advocate; Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor of the Huffington Post; Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts; and John Waters, noted filmmaker and best-selling author.

The conference afforded a broad spectrum of leaders the necessary tools to make a positive impact on their communities back home as well as an opportunity to plan for the dynamic future of the arts in America. The Half-Century Summit included an array of professional development sessions, visionary panels and small group discussions and was preceded by arts education and public art preconferences. Participants took advantage of a number of special events including a 50-year retrospective of public art, a one-man show by John Waters, a reception at the American Visionary Art Museum, a performance by the New York Neofuturists, and arts and cultural tours of Baltimore and the region.

Find more information on the Summit including videos, photos, blog posts, and tweets, by clicking here.

For contact details and applications click here

Baltimore, MD — June 30, 2010 — More than 1,000 arts professionals, elected officials, community leaders, artists, educators, students, and corporate and foundation leaders gathered from June 25-27 in Baltimore, Maryland for the Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit, the organization’s 50th Anniversary Annual Convention. The Summit featured a number of high-level speakers and presenters including Robert Redford, award-winning actor and arts advocate; Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor of the Huffington Post; Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts; and John Waters, noted filmmaker and best-selling author.

The conference afforded a broad spectrum of leaders the necessary tools to make a positive impact on their communities back home as well as an opportunity to plan for the dynamic future of the arts in America. The Half-Century Summit included an array of professional development sessions, visionary panels and small group discussions and was preceded by arts education and public art preconferences. Participants took advantage of a number of special events including a 50-year retrospective of public art, a one-man show by John Waters, a reception at the American Visionary Art Museum, a performance by the New York Neofuturists, and arts and cultural tours of Baltimore and the region.

Find more information on the Summit including videos, photos, blog posts, and tweets, by clicking here.

For contact details and applications click here

Americans for the Arts presents the 2010 Arts Education Award to KID smART, a New Orleans-based arts education organization. This award is given each year to an arts education program with the best program design and leadership. KID smART has been serving New Orleans for more than 10 years, serving more than 16,000 underserved students at 110 different locations. Last year alone, the program helped nearly 3,000 students. In 2006 KID smART developed a program called Arts Experiences in Schools (AXIS), which was an arts integration professional development program for teachers. This is just one example of how the program provides assistance and support for students, teachers, and administrators at the over 100 schools the program serves. KID smART uses its passionate group members and innovative ideas and techniques to transform schools using the arts and arts programming.

KID smART Executive Director Echo Olander accepted the award at the Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit. Visit the press room for more information.

For contact details and applications click here

Americans for the Arts presents the 2010 Public Art Network (PAN) Award to community arts activist Judy Baca. This award acknowledges original and inspired involvement in the field of public art. In 1974 Baca founded the first city of Los Angeles mural program, and then two years later started SPARC: Social & Public Art Resource Center in Los Angeles where she is still the founder and artistic director. She has worked with the community to create many large scale murals in the Los Angeles area, most notably The Great Wall of Los Angeles, a representation of interracial harmony that is nationally recognized and is a combined work of 400 inner-city youth, 40 ethnic historians, and hundreds of community residents.

Baca is also a full-time professor at UCLA, and is currently working on the Cesar Chavez Memorial at San Jose State University, the Robert F. Kennedy monument at the Old Ambassador Hotel site, the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in San Diego, and a digital painted mural for the Richmond Arts Center.

She received her award at the Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit. Visit the press room for more information.

For contact details and applications click here

Today, Americans for the Arts announces the 40 winners for the 2010 Public Art Year in Review. Each June, the Public Art Network recognizes the best works of public art debuted throughout the United States and Canada in the past year. Projects from 29 cities in 15 states are represented in this year’s selections, and the works were chosen from more than 300 entries from across the country. This year’s Year in Review was curated by public art artists and experts Helen Lessick and Fred Wilson.

A full list of the 40 Public Arts Year in Review selections is available here. This is the 10th year that Americans for the Arts has recognized the most outstanding and innovative public art displays from across the country.

Photos and descriptions of each award winning are available as part of the 2010 Public Art Year in Review CD-ROM, a great tool for community public art development, which can be purchased at the Americans for the Arts store.

For contact details and applications click here

Video of all testimony from the “Arts Build Communities” Congressional hearing on art funding is available on the Americans for the Arts Arts Action Fund site.

Americans for the Arts witnesses at the “Arts Build Communities” hearing included acclaimed actors Jeff Daniels and Kyle MacLachlan; Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter; U.S. Army Brigadier General Nolen V. Bivens (ret.); Terri Aldrich, Executive Director, Minot Area Council of the Arts; Charles Segars, CEO, Ovation; and Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO, Americans for the Arts.

Also presenting testimony was NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman and Congressional Arts Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY).

Michael Nutter, Philadelphia Mayor

For more details click the title or here