press release archive
03/07/2007Contact:
Beth Olsen
Goodman Media for Americans for the Arts
212.576.2700 ext. 243 or bolsen@goodmanmedia.com
Rep. Norm Dicks and Americans for the Arts Spearhead First Hearing in Over 12 Years on the Importance on Investing in the Arts
Washington, DC—March 7, 2007—In his first public action on arts issues as chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Representative Norm Dicks (D-WA) will host a hearing on the importance of investing in the arts in conjunction with Arts Advocacy Day, sponsored by Americans for the Arts. Rep. Dicks has invited Americans for the Arts to organize witnesses to give official testimony. This subcommittee has specific jurisdiction for setting the budget levels of the National Endowment for the Arts.
The hearing, entitled Role of the Arts in Creativity and Innovation, will be held on Tuesday, March 13 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in Rayburn Room B-308. Those testifying and topics being addressed are:
Wynton Marsalis, Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center
He will speak about how the arts help shape a nation’s identity, cultural diplomacy, and disaster relief for cultural organizations in rebuilding communities. Marsalis is also the Co-Chair of the Cultural Subcommittee of the “Bring New Orleans Back” Commission.
Dr. Sheila C. Johnson, CEO and nationally recognized arts philanthropist
She is the co-founder of BET Television; a partner in Lincoln Holdings LLC, which owns the Washington Capitals and WNBA’s Washington Mystics; President and CEO of Salamander Hospitality; and a board member of several cultural organizations, including Parsons The New School for Design; The Whitney Museum; VH1-Save the Music; and Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts. She will discuss arts education.
James Raisbeck, CEO of Raisbeck Engineering
As the Chairman and CEO of Raisbeck Engineering, Mr. Raisbeck’s aeronautical firm developed, among other things, the “Armored Cockpits for Passenger Planes” after 9/11. He serves on the nonprofit boards of the ArtsFund, which raises corporate funds to re-grant to cultural organizations in the Puget Sound area; the Seattle Opera; the Pacific Northwest Ballet; the Seattle Symphony; and the Museum of Flight. He will talk about corporate giving to the arts, the impact on business of America’s negative reputation abroad, and the federal partnership role in supporting the arts.
Mayor David Cicilline, Providence, Rhode Island mayor
Cicilline will speak on the transformation that his city has undergone from an industrial economy to a cultural economy, using the arts as the central strategy. He will also be representing the entire United States Conference of Mayors in talking about how the arts are an economic and community development engine for cities across the country.
Chris Klein, acclaimed actor
He has appeared in films such as Election, opposite Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick, and American Pie. He also starred in This is Our Youth in London's West End. He will discuss the importance of providing children opportunities to participate in the arts, both in and after school with community-based arts organizations.
Robert L. Lynch, Americans for the Arts, president and CEO
Lynch will discuss trends in arts giving at the federal, state, local, and private-sector levels; economic impact of the arts (including about-to-be-published statistics for some of the subcommittee members’ communities); and the dynamic work of community-based organizations that are providing resources and programs to millions of citizens daily (e.g., united arts funds, local arts agencies, arts and business councils).
Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it has a record of more than 45 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.
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