Americans for the Arts’ national arts advocacy approach has evolved to position the arts as a driver for community development year-round. The first of these 12-month equitable advocacy programs starts today, April 18 and 19, 2023, and includes 12 representatives from arts agencies in ten states including Alaska, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia.

American for the Arts’ leadership has been tapped by the Biden administration as part of a collective of prominent artists, scholars, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and state and local public officials who have demonstrated a sustainable commitment to the arts and humanities across the country, for the re-establishment of President Biden’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH). Among the appointees to the committee is Nora Halpern, who has served as Vice President of Leadership Alliances for more than two decades at Americans for the Arts– the longest-running national arts advocacy organization represented within the collective of distinguished members.

Americans for the Arts joins the 2023 Supernova International Ska Festival as their official Impact Partner. The fitting union affirms Americans for the Arts’ mission of advancing the diverse networks of organizations and individuals who cultivate the arts in the United States. Thriving at the intersection of music and community, Supernova Ska Festival will take place at historic Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, on September 15-17, 2023.

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Americans for the Arts announced that they’ll be joining the 2023 SheROCKS Event as an official Awareness Partner. SheROCKS is one of the fastest growing events for emerging multicultural women artists and entrepreneurs. The event will be held at Capital Turnaround, 700 M St SE, Washington, D.C., on March 25, 2023. Tickets are on sale at Eventbrite.

Americans for the Arts and The United States Conference of Mayors today presented the 2023 Public Leadership in the Arts Awards to three elected officials, and Legendary Artist Awards to two artists, at The U.S. Conference of Mayors 91st Winter Meeting in Washington, DC. The honorees included Dan McKee, Governor of Rhode Island; David Holt, Mayor of Oklahoma City; Jon Mitchell, Mayor of New Bedford, Massachusetts; and Louis “Eric B” Barrier, hip-hop artist and pioneer in the rap genre and Kool DJ Red Alert, hip-hop DJ, were awarded with Legendary Artist Awards.

Americans for the Arts today announced visual artist G. Peter Jemison (Heron Clan, Seneca Nation) as the recipient of the 2023 Johnson Fellowship for Artists Transforming Communities. This year’s $70,000 award honors an individual artist or culture bearer who does their creative work in and with rural communities with the purpose of building community, fostering participation in community life, advancing cultural and/or racial equity, and/or addressing specific issues that affect the well-being of rural communities.

Americans for the Arts’ President and CEO Nolen V. Bivens issued a statement following the announcement that Tsione Wolde-Michael has been named Executive Director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH).

Americans for the Arts is pleased to welcome to its board of directors Theo Edmonds, JD, MHA, MFA, Directing Co-Founder of the Imaginator Academy and Research Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Denver. Edmonds will begin his three-year term on Americans for the Arts’ board on January 1, 2023.

Americans for the Arts today launched a multimedia platform that will serve as a hub for results and information pertaining to its Strategic Realignment Process (SRP), which the organization undertook during 2022. With the SRP completed, the Designing Our Destiny platform represents Americans for the Arts’ new path forward to better serve the arts and culture field. 

Americans for the Arts is pleased to present Representatives Anna Eskamani, Carlos Guillermo Smith, Jay Trumbull, and Jayer Williamson with the Public Leadership in the Arts Award for State Arts Leadership, in partnership with the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). The award recognizes state legislators who have consistently advocated for the advancement of pro-arts legislation, funding, and promotion in their region.

Americans for the Arts is pleased to present Vice Mayor and Councilmember of the Mesa, Arizona City Council Jenn Duff with the inaugural Public Leadership in the Arts Award for City Council Leadership, in partnership with the National League of Cities. The award recognizes a city council member who has consistently advocated for the advancement of pro-arts legislation, funding, and promotion in their region.

Americans for the Arts today announced the National Arts Awards, held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, October 17 at Guastavino’s in New York City. The first National Arts Awards to take place since 2019, the ceremony is held as part of National Arts and Humanities Month and celebrates the landmark contributions and lasting legacies of artists, philanthropists, policymakers, civic leaders, and organizations to the cultural fabric of the nation.

Americans for the Arts President and CEO Nolen V. Bivens issued a statement of support following the Sept. 30, 2022, White House Executive Order reestablishing the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.