Mr. Joe Landon


Laura Smyth

On the Path to Title I

Posted by Mr. Joe Landon, Laura Smyth, Apr 13, 2016


Mr. Joe Landon


Laura Smyth

In 2011, the California Alliance for Arts Education began its Title I Initiative as a way of clarifying misunderstandings about the appropriateness of using Title I funds to support arts strategies and a guide to action for schools and districts seeking to embark on the work. Four years in, we’re delighted to see that the Initiative has taken root around the state, as well as resonating with some other states pursuing similar agendas, particularly in anticipation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)’s devolution of much decision-making power to the state level.

In a nutshell, federal Title I policy clearly allows schools and districts to include arts education in their strategies to achieve Title I goals. Downstream of the federal level, however, the Alliance found that there was a lack of clarity about whether and how the arts could play a role in Title I. Coupled with the culture of “fear of reprisal” that seemed to permeate the Title I world—where funding could be retracted if a program didn’t meet state or federal expectations—this lack of clarity was proving an insurmountable barrier. Schools and districts, it seemed, were either electing to ignore the opportunity to include arts education in their strategies for achieving Title I goals, or were moving forward in a way that would draw no attention to those practices.

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Mr. Jay H. Dick

The Importance of Partnering with Associations of Elected Officials

Posted by Mr. Jay H. Dick, Apr 14, 2016


Mr. Jay H. Dick

Go down to your street corner and ask people if they have ever thought about whether their mayor or state legislator belongs to a professional trade association. You would probably get a lot of blank stares and muffled answers. But, to Americans for the Arts, this is serious business.

Starting over 20 years ago, Americans for the Arts made the strategic decision to partner with associations that represent elected officials. Those groups are: the National Governors Association (NGA), the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA), the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the National Association of Counties (NACo), The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), and the National League of Cities (NLC).

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Mr. Jay H. Dick

Time to Celebrate—and fight for—the Arts and Culture!

Posted by Mr. Jay H. Dick, Apr 25, 2017


Mr. Jay H. Dick

Did you know that NACo (the National Association of Counties), along with Americans for the Arts, recognize counties for their arts and culture achievements? Beginning in 1999, Americans for the Arts, in partnership with NACo, began presenting its Public Leadership in the Arts Award to a county or county official who has worked to advance the arts and arts education within their county. Further, NACo presents its own award, the NACo Arts and Culture Award, designed to recognize county governments for their efforts to enrich American cultural and intellectual life, promote lifelong learning, and protect our national heritage. Nominations for both awards are currently open.

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Ms. Sheila M. Smith

Take Arts Advocacy on the Road

Posted by Ms. Sheila M. Smith, Apr 14, 2016


Ms. Sheila M. Smith

“I pledge to you that the Mayor, the City Council and indeed the City of Fergus Falls will invest more in the arts.”

-Mayor Hal Leland, Fergus Falls, MN

This is just one of the astonishing things said by public officials as we traveled around the state doing the Creative Minnesota Road Show. Drawing together city council and county board members, mayors, and regional and local economic development staff along with arts advocates of every description, the 91 presentations of our 29 economic impact studies of the arts were held in every corner of Minnesota in 2015. I put 7,000 miles on my car. I could now do these presentations in my sleep. But I have to tell you that it was really fun to run from place to place being the bearer of good news.

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Guillermina Gonzalez

Strategizing on the Future of the Creative Workforce

Posted by Guillermina Gonzalez, Jun 12, 2017


Guillermina Gonzalez

A recent publication, the Future of Jobs Report, aimed to alert those leaders about current stock of knowledge around anticipated skills needs, recruitment patterns, and occupational requirements on labor market from the perspective of some of the world’s largest employers. Both Creativity and Cognitive Flexibility made the list of top 10 skills. This is great news for education where the arts are present, since they are the springboard of creativity, innovation, and cognitive flexibility; but strategy to implement arts-infused curricula more fully in public education is needed to educate the workforce of the future. The call for strategic local arts advocacy is warranted.

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Mr. Leon Kuehner

Iowa Arts Advocacy Caucus: Candidates, Corn Dogs, and Collaboration!

Posted by Mr. Leon Kuehner, Apr 14, 2016


Mr. Leon Kuehner

The idea for the Iowa Arts Advocacy Caucus was born at the Americans for the Arts Action Fund event at Advocacy Day 2015 when Nina Ozlu Tunceli mentioned that Americans for the Arts would be actively participating in the New Hampshire primary and both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions in 2016. I was attending this event with Helen Duranleau-Brennan of the Iowa Thespians, and we both looked at each other and had the same idea—Americans for the Arts needed to be in Iowa before the Iowa Caucuses! We talked to Nina, and she thought it was a great idea. Planning started as soon as I got back to Iowa.

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