Blog Posts for local arts network

Thank you to the many people who have been blog contributors to, and readers of ArtsBlog over the years. ArtsBlog has long been a space where we uplifted stories from the field that demonstrated how the arts strengthen our communities socially, educationally, and economically; where trends and issues and controversies were called out; and advocacy tools were provided to help you make the case for more arts funding and favorable arts policies.

As part of Americans for the Arts’ recent Strategic Realignment Process, we were asked to evaluate our storytelling communications platforms and evolve the way we share content. As a result, we launched the Designing Our Destiny portal to explore new ways of telling stories and sharing information, one that is consistent with our longtime practice of, “No numbers without a story, and no stories without a number.”

As we put our energy into developing this platform and reevaluate our communications strategies, we have put ArtsBlog on hold. That is, you can read past blog posts, but we are not posting new ones. You can look to the Designing Our Destiny portal and our news items feed on the Americans for the Arts website for stories you would have seen in ArtsBlog in the past.

ArtsBlog will remain online through this year as we determine the best way to archive this valuable resource and the knowledge you’ve shared here.

As ever, we are grateful for your participation in ArtsBlog and thank you for your work in advancing the arts. It is important, and you are important for doing it.

Update on Americans for the Arts Events in 2023

A six-piece brass band performs on stage in front of an enthusiastic audience, against a colorful backdrop that reads: Annual Convention 2022.
Thursday, February 16, 2023

During 2022’s Strategic Realignment Process, we worked with members and other stakeholders to identify the specific and unique role of Americans for the Arts within the arts and culture community. While we continue to evaluate and evolve our offerings, here’s the latest update on some of our flagship events, including the National Arts Action Summit, Annual Convention, and the National Arts Marketing Project Conference.

Americans for the Arts Launches Multimedia Platform in New Phase of Its Strategic Realignment Process

Light blue graphic with white text that reads: Designing our Destiny. Swooping lines in orange and purple surround the text and form a star above the words: Americans for the Arts.
‘Designing Our Destiny’ Platform Charts New Path Forward for Americans for the Arts 
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
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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. 


Mr. John W. Haworth

Building a Foundation for Native Arts & Culture Councils

Posted by Mr. John W. Haworth, Dec 06, 2022 0 comments


Mr. John W. Haworth

Native Arts & Culture Councils, a two-year pilot project funded by the Ford Foundation, is designed to help Native communities develop Arts and Culture Councils similar to existing local arts agencies across the United States. In the initial stages of this initiative, this group of tribal-led, community-based organizations is making important contributions to our national cultural discourse and paving the way for broader participation by other tribes. The Native cultural field has changed dramatically in the last thirty or so years. There is broader acceptance that there should be no “speaking about us without us,” and Native leaders, artists, and cultural organizations want their cultural perspectives recognized, documented, understood, and celebrated. Community-anchored and community-informed work includes a variety of approaches: Some of the tribal organizations are committed to advancing tourism to strengthen the local economy; others focus on supporting local artists (including artist directories, organizing local art markets, and commissioning public art projects); still others seek to develop programmatic capacities related to public events, classes and workshops, film screenings, youth projects, ceremonial activities, and heritage preservation and oral history projects. There is value in having input from people living in tribal communities and having their perspective on how best to develop local cultural assets that suit their community’s needs.

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Rep. Bonamici Introduces CREATIVE Act to build on the NEA’s Support for Local Arts Agencies

Smiling person with short dark hair, wearing a red blazer top and pearls, posed in front of an American flag.
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
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On October 14, 2022, Representative Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1) introduced the Capital, Repairs, and Employment for Art Talent to Improve Visibility Everywhere (CREATIVE) Act. The CREATIVE Act would expand access to capital for facilities by allowing local arts agencies, museums, and 501c3s to receive grants of up to $5 million to construct and acquire new facilities, maintain and improve existing facilities, or hire staff or produce art at existing facilities.   

The fiscal year 2022 findings are based on 382 survey responses that were collected from participating local arts agencies (LAAs) during February through May 2022.

Local Arts Agencies by the Numbers in 2022:

  • 44% of the local arts agencies (LAAs) responding to this survey report that their local government has used federal COVID-19 relief and/or recovery funds to provide direct funding to arts organizations/businesses or individual artists.

    • In more than half of those communities (52%), the LAA was responsible for distributing the federal COVID-19 relief/recovery dollars to the arts community.

    • Those LAAs reported that they distributed an average of $1.9 million dollars in COVID-19 funding (responses ranged from $3,000 to $21.8 million).

    • In addition to distributing federal dollars, LAAs also reported that they conducted their own fundraising efforts to support their arts community through the pandemic: “Though we did not receive any pass-through monies, we did help facilitate $1.6 million in emergency funding outside of our grants program,” reported one survey respondent.

  • 49% of the responding LAAs reported that they have used and/or re-distributed COVID-19 relief and recovery funding (from any source) specifically to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.

  • The most prominent current operational challenges identified by LAAs include difficulty in predicting future scenarios (56%), survival of the arts and culture organizations in their community (49%), too many priorities/competing priorities in the current environment (48%), loss of income/revenue (47%), and the well-being of the artists in their community (also 47%).

Resources: 2022 Profile of Local Arts Agencies

Background Information about Local Arts Agencies: Infographics (Data from 2019)

Additional Local Arts Agency Resources

A Comprehensive Survey to Track the Budgets and Programs of America's 4,500 LAAs

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on America’s arts sector. While employment conditions improve for artists and creative workers, the arts are recovering slower than other industries and COVID continues to disrupt in-person programming. Local arts agencies have provided a vital role in serving and supporting artists and arts organizations from the pandemic’s onset to the present day.

In 2022, Americans for the Arts conducted the fourth edition of the Profile of Local Arts Agencies, our survey designed to illuminate the ever-adapting role of local arts agencies (LAAs). The Profile tracks and examines trends in the programs, budgets, and operations of the LAA field. This year's survey was significantly abbreviated to reduce the response burden. Use the links below to access a summary report of the findings and other resources. Use the links in the left margin of this page to navigate to the findings from our previous surveys of the the LAA field including the 2015 LAA Census, and the 2018, 2019, and 2020 LAA Profiles. (The Profile was not conducted in 2021 due to shifting priorities resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Americans For The Arts Debuts Improved Arts + Social Impact Explorer

Screenshot of the Social Impact Explorer wheel, with 30 wedges in a rainbow of colors.
Friday, May 20, 2022

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. 

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