national arts and humanities month

National Arts and Humanities Month

101 Things to Do to Celebrate the Month

1. Participate in National Arts and Humanities Month.
2. Hang a banner proclaiming National Arts and Humanities Month.
3. Send a press release to your local paper about activities you are hosting in honor of NAHM.
4. Hand out buttons with the National Arts and Humanities Month logo.
5. Write a 10-second radio public service announcement to run each day of the month.
6. Customize your computer screen-saver to remind you that it is National Arts and Humanities Month.
7. Provide fliers for the concierge stations at local hotels.
8. Make a list of area artists willing to perform throughout October and distribute it to schools, libraries, etc.
9. Read a book out loud.
10. Host an art festival in the park featuring local artists.
11. Ask local clergy to celebrate the arts and humanities with a sermon or a bell ringing.
12. Invite local musicians to perform "brown bag" lunchtime concerts in your public square.
13. Write an op-ed on the value of arts education to the students in your community.
14. Suggest that teachers engage students in a National Arts and Humanities Month project.
15. Arrange a student art exhibition to be displayed at the school, a local business, the public library, or local government center.
16. Obtain an official proclamation of October as National Arts and Humanities Month from your local elected leaders.
17. Make a short video and post it on YouTube about what the arts mean to you.
18. Host an open house at your local arts agency to explain what the arts offer in your community.
19. Encourage local performers to hold open rehearsals during October.
20. During dinner, have each family member share one creative thing they did that day.
21. Ask local museums to give a "behind-the-scenes" tour of how exhibits are put together.
22. Advertise the "Children-Discount Days" at your local theaters, museums, concerts, or puppet shows.
23. Suggest local businesses showcase an artist to demonstrate or exhibit their work during the month.
24. Hold a dinner for your Board of Directors to celebrate the work your agency does to bring the arts to the community.
25. Work with local detention centers to organize art classes for the inmates.
26. Distribute balloons with the National Arts and Humanities Month logo at public events during the month.
27. Schedule performances at senior centers, hospitals, or nursing homes.
28. Design posters for your local transportation authority to display in buses and subways.
29. Ask your local weather forecaster to mention National Arts and Humanities Month during the weather report.
30. Ask the local airport to hang a banner for National Arts and Humanities Month with a number for information.
31. Put together an October calendar of events to display in a public place, such as Town Hall.
32. Invite artists and arts organizations to march and perform in a parade.
33. Encourage arts organizations to continue their work by developing an annual award given to an outstanding arts organization.
34. Sponsor a seminar for local arts and government leaders on the importance of public funding for the arts and culture.
35. Create a bumper sticker for National Arts and Humanities Month. If you don't specify a year, it can be used again!
36. Ask your local paper to donate media space during October to publicize National Arts and Humanities Month.
37. Ask community arts leaders to guide tours of their facilities, or. . .
38.  . . . develop walking tours of cultural organizations.
39. Donate used books to local schools and libraries and encourage others in the community to do the same.
40. Hold a community sing-a-long every Sunday (or Monday, Tuesday, etc.) during October on the City Hall steps.
41. Notify all local cultural groups that October is National Arts and Humanities Month; encourage collaborations and partnerships!
42. Recommend that local businesses print October is National Arts and Humanities Month on receipts or automated mailings.
43. Display information in your agency about a different community artist or arts organization every week during the month.
44. Encourage performances in the public square.
45. Make and distribute National Arts and Humanities Month lapel pins.
46. Organize a storytelling session for people of all ages to share personal tales at local bookstores, libraries, or schools.
47. Ask local writers to put together a publication to honor National Arts and Humanities Month
48.  . . . and sell it as a memento of cultural life in your community!
49. Hold a benefit auction with local crafts—a great way for the community to see the talent in your area.
50. Hold a one-day arts festival.
51. Take pictures of arts events and local artists throughout October for a community slide show and post it to the NAHM group on Flickr.
52. Ask the local convention and visitors’ bureau to include a National Arts and Humanities Month flier in all October mailings.
53. Make sure your city magazine knows October is National Arts and Humanities Month.
54. Invite professional musicians and actors to hold a "Master Class" for students and members of the community.
55. Encourage school field trips to arts events during National Arts and Humanities Month.
56. Ask local reporters and newscasters to report news of local cultural events during National Arts and Humanities Month.
57. Organize a community talent show.
58. Conduct a series of training workshops for local artists on marketing, portfolio development, and publicity.
59. Include the National Arts and Humanities Month logo in your newsletter.
60. Make a self-guided walking tour map of local cultural sites to distribute to local businesses, arts groups and libraries.
61. Go to a matinee performance with your children.
62. Recognize someone in your community who has contributed time or talent to the arts or humanities.
63. Take a class in paper making. . .
64.  . . . or painting. . .
65.  . . . or modern dance. . .
66.  . . . or creative writing!
67. Create a community photo album. Invite local residents to donate old photographs and take new ones throughout the month.
68. Suggest local theaters organize post-performance discussions about their play or playwright once a week.
69. Become a fan of National Arts and Humanities Month on Facebook and then invite your friends to do the same.
70. Write a letter to your Member of Congress listing events in the district during the month.
71. Send your Congressional representative an invitation to participate, cut a ribbon, or open an exhibit.
72. Partner with your local government to hang banners along your main street, designed by local artists, celebrating National Arts and Humanities Month.
73. Read the arts section of the newspaper first.
74. Take up a musical instrument—or rekindle your interest in one.
75. Offer to coordinate a panel of speakers to discuss the local cultural scene for your local public television station.
76. Invite a college art, music, dance, or theater student to spend an hour at the high school talking about their course of study.
77. Alert your newspaper's "Datebook" section that October is National Arts and Humanities Month.
78. E-mail everyone you know and encourage them to participate in the month-long celebration.
79. Post NAHM Web stickers on your organization's website or blog.
80. Encourage arts presenters to add a National Arts and Humanities Month imprint on all tickets during October.
81. Send notes to your donors thanking them for all they do to keep the arts and humanities in your community.
82. Commission a local artist or student to design a poster for National Arts and Humanities Month to post around town.
83. Ask a local coffee house to host a poetry reading.
84. Print bookmarks for distribution at bookstores and libraries during October.
85. Publish a calendar of arts events and post it in restaurants, stores, and schools.
86. Ask local banks to enclose a card about National Arts and Humanities Month, with the logo, in their October bank statements.
87. Ask galleries to stay open one evening a week during October.
88. Create National Arts and Humanities Month inserts for performance centers to include in programs.
89. Arrange for movie theaters to display "October is National Arts and Humanities Month" on their marquees.
90. Unveil a new project, product, or service during National Arts and Humanities Month.
91. Hold cultural events all month and use the proceeds to establish an Arts Fund that can be applied to exhibits and other arts events in the future.
92. Sponsor a Halloween story event for children. . .
93. . . . . and arrange for the local newspaper to print a few of the stories on October 31.
94. Visit a museum.
95. Raffle off a donation of art or literature from someone in the community, with proceeds going to a local art program.
96. Send an e-mail blast about your NAHM plans to all your members or post this information on a listserv.
97. Organize a local "Battle of the Bands."
98. Include a flier about National Arts and Humanities Month with Sunday paper deliveries during October.
99. Ask your city’s Arts Commission to publish a complete overview of all local cultural organizations in the newspaper for NAHM.
100. Invite local government officials to every arts event during October.
101. Print napkins with the National Arts and Humanities Month logo to be used during the month.

AND don't forget to tell Americans for the Arts about the events and activities you have planned!