New Report Shows How Cities Are Using ARPA Funds to Promote Equity

Monday, June 6, 2022

Report cover with text that reads: The American Rescue Plan Act, Promoting Equity through ARPA Implementation. The United States Conference of Mayors, June 2022.
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In collaboration with The Kresge Foundation, the U.S. Conference of Mayors released a new report, “Promoting Equity through ARPA Implementation,” which documents 20 city case studies and details how mayors are using State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to invest in underserved populations and address the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on low and moderate-income people and communities of color.


Tamar Krames


Linda Lombardi

Member Spotlight: Tamar Krames

Posted by Tamar Krames, Linda Lombardi, Jun 02, 2022


Tamar Krames


Linda Lombardi

The Washington State Arts Commission, ArtsWA, nurtures and supports the role of the arts in the lives of all Washingtonians. As the Arts in Education (AIE) Program Manager at ArtsWA, Tamar Krames oversees a variety of programs and partnerships with a focus on equitable access to quality arts learning. Krames is a multimedia artist, National Board-Certified teacher, and arts administrator. Supporting innovative, community-based practices in schools has been at the core of her work for the past 20 years. Current projects include managing Arts in Education grants, providing support for teaching artists and PreK-12 arts teachers, and amplifying the creative practices of youth and educators. Krames holds a Master in Teaching degree from The Evergreen State College and a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. 

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Americans For The Arts Debuts Improved Arts + Social Impact Explorer

Friday, May 20, 2022

Screenshot of the Social Impact Explorer wheel, with 30 wedges in a rainbow of colors.

Americans for the Arts has introduced a new 2.0 version of the Arts + Social Impact Explorer, the most comprehensive clearinghouse of example projects and research about the role of arts in community life available today. The Explorer provides examples, datapoints, links to research papers, and lists of active organizations to illustrate the impact of arts and culture in 30 aspects of community life from public health to transportation, safety, community cohesion, and innovation. 

Americans for the Arts Awards Urban Designer Paola Aguirre Serrano with the 2022 Jorge and Darlene Pérez Prize in Public Art & Civic Design

Thursday, May 19, 2022

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Americans for the Arts today announced that urban designer Paola Aguirre Serrano has been awarded the 2022 Jorge and Darlene Pérez Prize in Public Art & Civic Design. A first-of-its-kind national recognition program established by the Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation, the prize includes a cash stipend of $30,000 plus opportunities for Aguirre Serrano to participate in discussions about her work with national leaders in the arts and other allied fields.

Americans for the Arts Honors Three Arts Leaders For Enriching Communities Through the Arts

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Three smiling people side by side, the first wearing glasses, a jean jacket, and a beaded necklace and earrings; the second wearing a black shirt posing against a black background; the third wearing a black shirt, green blazer, and gold necklace.
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Americans for the Arts announced today the recipients of the 2022 Americans for the Arts Leadership Awards at Americans for the Arts’ Annual Convention. Given annually, the awards recognize the achievements of individuals and organizations committed to enriching their communities through the arts.

Adriane Jefferson Awarded American Express Emerging Leader Award for Community Impact

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Person wearing a black shirt, posing against a black background.
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Americans for the Arts announced today that Adriane Jefferson, director of the Department of Arts and Cultural Affairs for the City of New Haven and the executive director of New Haven Festival Inc, has been awarded the 2022 American Express Emerging Leader Award at Americans for the Arts’ Annual Convention. The award recognizes an exceptional new and/or young arts professional for their exemplary leadership, deep engagement with community, and strong commitment to advancing the arts.

Adriane Jefferson Honored with 2022 American Express Emerging Leader Award

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Person with long dark hair wearing a black top and raising her left hand to her chin. She stands against a dark background.

The American Express Emerging Leader Award recognizes visionary leadership by an individual who is a new and/or young arts leader who demonstrates an ability to engage and impact their community. Adriane Jefferson is currently the Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of New Haven and the Executive Director of New Haven Festivals Inc., where she is leading the city on cultural equity and anti-racism initiatives. 

Julie Garreau Honored with 2022 Selina Roberts Ottum Award for Arts Leadership

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Smiling person with shoulder length dark hair wearing glasses and a denim jacket, standing in front of Indigenous structures.

The Selina Roberts Ottum Award for Arts Leadership recognizes an individual working in arts management who has made a meaningful contribution to their local community and who exemplifies extraordinary leadership qualities. Julie Garreau (Lakota name Wičhaȟpi Epatȟaŋ Wiŋ) is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and is the executive director of the nonprofit Cheyenne River Youth Project (CRYP) in Eagle Butte, South Dakota.

Proposal to Increase Equity through the Arts and Humanities Introduced in Congress

Thursday, May 5, 2022

Smiling person with short dark curly hair wearing a blue blazer over a black top, pearl necklace, and a lapel pin.
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On Thursday, April 28, 2022, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) introduced the Equity Through the Arts and Humanities Act (H.R. 7627), which would create a grant program to support arts and humanities projects that work to dismantle systemic racism through the arts and humanities.

Centering Equity and Inclusion, Americans for the Arts Launches ‘Arts & Economic Prosperity 6’ Study

Data Collection for Sixth National Study of Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Culture Industry Set to Begin May 1

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Americans for the Arts logo
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Americans for the Arts is pleased to announce the launch of Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), the sixth national study of the economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry. Building on its 25-year legacy, AEP6 will examine the economic power that the arts and culture wield in 387 participating communities representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each community will receive a customized economic impact report about the number of jobs supported, government revenue generated, and economic activity of its nonprofit arts and culture sector.


Ms. Donna Walker-Kuhne

BIPOC Critics Lab Trains the Next Generation

Posted by Ms. Donna Walker-Kuhne, Apr 25, 2022


Ms. Donna Walker-Kuhne

When my career propelled me to leap from the world of dance to The Public Theater, the powerful impact and influence of reviews by critics became even more clear to me. Not only do reviews help shape the public’s perception of a theatrical production; they also can determine its future. For the most part, the critics for numerous media organizations are both male and white. My experience has been that they often misunderstand the cultural nuances of works created by artists of color. However, that landscape is changing thanks to the efforts of cultural critic Jose Solís, who has been covering theater, film, and arts for more than 20 years. Recognizing the very low numbers of theater critics of color and inspired by the movements for social and racial justice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, Jose took time during the pandemic-generated shutdown to develop the curriculum for the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Critics Lab. The goal of the 10-week program is to nurture and help develop the unique voices of future critics through a multimedia lens—written essays, traditional reviews, as well as podcasting, audiovisual, and social media platforms. Jose also has recruited theater partners who have agreed to pay program participants for whatever materials they create on behalf of those theaters at the end of their participation in the BIPOC Critics Lab.

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Mr. Clayton W. Lord

2022 Trends: Money, Money, Money

Posted by Mr. Clayton W. Lord, Apr 22, 2022


Mr. Clayton W. Lord

As the price of goods rises, costs will likely flow as far downstream as possible—which means cultural organizations and artists will continue to get hit with rising costs while arts patrons are likely to have more expenses that eat away at disposable income. At the same time, the slowly closing spigot of relief and recovery funding, mistimed to the needs of our field where things are still solidly behind where they were prior to the pandemic, poses serious risks to independent workers, creative entrepreneurs, and arts organizations. Will public policy solutions like Universal Basic Income (and related large-scale public policies around unemployment and healthcare access) scale enough to make the difference? It’s hard to imagine—but even two years ago it would have been hard to imagine multiple major cities running UBI pilots specifically designed to support and maintain a creative class.

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Mr. Clayton W. Lord

2022 Trends: Digital Goes Mainstream

Posted by Mr. Clayton W. Lord, Apr 21, 2022


Mr. Clayton W. Lord

It was going to happen eventually, but the pandemic drove digital engagement of one type or another into almost every aspect of life. As we progress forward, how will that engagement make things better—and how might it make things worse? There is so much promise and peril for the arts sector and artists when it comes to the digital space, cryptocurrency, and the metaverse. The rules of much of this space are still being written, so one argument goes that it may end up being a more egalitarian and open space in which entrepreneurial creatives of all stripes can control more of their own destiny. On the other hand, accessibility issues and repeating patterns of colonization of the space by the same monied, privileged few who have been able to colonize elsewhere have people concerned. Whatever the outcome, these formerly sci-fi concepts have solidly moved into the realm of reality and will take up increasing brain space (and revenue) for both artists and arts organizations in the coming years.

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Mr. Clayton W. Lord

2022 Trends: Global (and Local) Unrest and Dysfunction

Posted by Mr. Clayton W. Lord, Apr 20, 2022


Mr. Clayton W. Lord

The planet is heaving, as are the human populations living on it. Whether we’re talking major weather events and icebergs the size of cities, the threat of global war, oppressive legislation at home, or a looming election amid governmental stagnation, much feels topsy-turvy these days. Climate change is already affecting the living habits of millions of people in ways large and small, and in the coming decades it will affect where we can have homes (and studios and performance venues), how much it costs to maintain internal climates that are comfortable, the availability of materials, and more. Similarly, burgeoning violence, invasion, and occupation are affecting systems and costs globally and locally, and likely will soon spark migrations that may impact cultural organizations and foster engagement by and with artists. On these scales, the potential impact of elections and state and national policy are closer and clearer, and accessibility to culture for millions of people may be affected.

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Mr. Clayton W. Lord

2022 Trends: Shifts in Labor, Work, and Training

Posted by Mr. Clayton W. Lord, Apr 19, 2022


Mr. Clayton W. Lord

In ways large and small, the way we work continues to change as we carry into the rest of 2022 and emerge from two years of seismic change. A true tussle between those who want it to go back to how it was, and those who want something new in the relationship between workers and work, is about to come to a head. For our sector, the implications of this shift in work are, and will be, profound. The hardship of the pandemic created exoduses of artists leaving the arts field, either temporarily or permanently, and have opened new job training employment opportunities for creative workers and organizations. For those staying in the arts, collective organizing offers the promise of better wages and quality of life. 

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Mr. Clayton W. Lord

2022 Trends That Will Impact the Arts

Posted by Mr. Clayton W. Lord, Apr 19, 2022


Mr. Clayton W. Lord

Now that we’re more than a quarter of the way through 2022, it seems like the perfect time for a post about trends that will impact the arts this year, right? But seriously—the world is moving so fast and seems so chaotic that maybe partway in is the perfect time to think about the trends happening around us and how they’ll carry through for the remainder of the year. Why do we publish an annual trends post? Because what happens to the world happens to us all. It can be difficult to set aside time and brain space, particularly at this moment, to think about what’s out there and what’s coming our way. But if we don’t carve out that time, we risk being caught by surprise. We gather these trends in an effort to make it easier for you (and us) to be prepared, anticipate what’s coming, and actively engage in crafting the future instead of just reacting to it. As an organization and a field, we need to cast our eyes forward to that messy horizon and try and glean what’s coming. That’s always hard, and perhaps never harder than when everything seems in flux. But why not try, all the same?

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National Endowment for the Arts Releases Equity Action Plan

Thursday, April 14, 2022

National Endowment for the Arts logo
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Today, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) joined more than 90 federal agencies in releasing an Equity Action Plan in accordance with President Biden’s Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. The order outlines a whole-of-government mandate to advance equity for all Americans through a comprehensive approach to all government practices.

Federal Art in Architecture Program Request for Comments: Deadline April 4

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Tall ionic marble columns in the foreground of a photo of a multi-story interior courtyard space with a spouting fountain. Visible in the background are arches lining the walls and a matching set of marble columns.
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The public comment period aims to better understand how the Art in Architecture program can promote the goals articulated in a January 2021 Executive Order signed by President Biden, “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government,” as well as promoting civic engagement and participation and democratic values, and advancing social ties and economic development at the community level. 


Randy Cohen

10 Reasons to Support the Arts in 2022

Posted by Randy Cohen, Mar 21, 2022


Randy Cohen

The arts are fundamental to our humanity. They ennoble and inspire us—fostering creativity, empathy, and beauty. The arts also strengthen our communities socially, educationally, and economically—benefits that persist even during a pandemic that has been devastating to the arts. The following 10 reasons show why an investment in artists, creative workers, and arts organizations is vital to the nation’s post-pandemic healing and recovery. The arts are a proven contributor in keeping us mentally healthy—reducing depression and anxiety and increasing life satisfaction. Just 30 minutes of arts activities daily can combat the ill effects of isolation and loneliness associated with COVID-19—and 78% of hospital CEOs say the purpose of their arts programs is to aid in the emotional and mental healing of patients Those data points nail it. The arts are all about stories—often personal, always meaningful. This advocacy season, find your stories and pair them with the research-based findings in “10 Reasons to Support the Arts.”

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