On Monday, February 4, 2008 President Bush sent his FY 2009 budget request to Congress, beginning the yearly appropriations process for the nation's cultural agencies and programs.  Below you can write your Members of Congress and tell them to support increased funding for the nation's arts programs.

On the heels of signing the largest Congressionally-initiated funding increase Take Action!million to $128.4 million. After three years of minimal, but incremental, funding growth, we are surprised to see an attempt to erase this progress. Take Action!

In this month's ArtCast, Bob Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, discusses the organization's work toward the 2008 presidential primaries and election. Find out how Americans for the Arts is focusing its efforts to impact the dialogue of the presidential primaries, including the creation of a new arts position issue brief for all the presidential candidates.

Listen to ArtCast

Earlier this summer the Americans for the Arts Action Fund launched ArtsVote2008, our effort to bring the arts to the forefront of the '08 campaigns. We've assembled staff and grassroots volunteers and are establishing a significant presence on the ground in New Hampshire–the first primary state. (more)Arts Blog

Americans for the Arts seeks Winter/Spring Interns in Washington, DC and New York, NY

Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America, seeks Winter/Spring Interns. With a 45-year record of service, it is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts.
 
The Americans for the Arts Internship Program offers undergraduate students, graduate students, and recent college graduates the opportunity to investigate and participate in the operations of the nations leading nonprofit for advancing the arts in America. Through a combination of learning experiences, work projects, and group collaborations, interns become integral members of our team. Program benefits may include career support, member services, and a series of leadership discussions with Americans for the Arts staff. Interns are expected to participate in daily activities, contribute skills and ideas, and produce excellent work, all the while preparing to become the next generation of arts, nonprofit, and cultural leaders.
 
Qualifications:

• Undergraduate student, graduate student, or college graduate
• Experience and interest in nonprofit administration and/or cultural policy
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to work independently as well as in a team environment
• Ability to establish priorities and juggle numerous assignments at one time
• Knowledge of Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office

To apply, please visit our website for full descriptions of each internship and additional details about our program. If any of our internships seem like the right fit for you, please complete all required application materials and email them to resume@artsusa.org with "InternWinter/Spring" in the subject line.

Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, takes a look at the arts and news across the country. He discusses a variety of programs and events that occur this October in celebration of National Arts & Humanities Month. For more information visit: www.AmericansForTheArts.org/NAHM.

http://blog.artsusa.org/2007/10/11/artcast-3-national-arts-humanities-month/

Check out the Americans for the Arts' blog!

View Americans for the Arts' audio and video gallery.

Subscribe to Americans for the Arts' RSS (Really Simple Syndication) podcast feed to get audio and video from our events delivered directly to your desktop! Want other feeds from Americans for the Arts? Visit our RSS page.

Annual Convention Advance Registration Cut-Off is Today!
Today is the last day to register in advance for Risk and Reward: Balancing Acts in Arts and Community, the Americans for Arts Annual Convention in Las Vegas, June 1-3, 2007.

Several of our speakers and activities at convention have been in the news recently:

New Hampshire Putting New Color into the Primary
This article highlights ArtsVoteNH, a partnership between New Hampshire Citizens for the Arts and the Americans for the Arts Action Fund, intended both to help candidates state their positions on the arts and humanities and to help voters learn those positions. "Our country, during the past three years, has exercised its communications primarily in some areas through military means, and through political and diplomatic means, and we've been sending out rough signals that the world has difficulty interpreting," said Glen Swanson of Peterborough, who helped create the initiative and just stepped down as the New Hampshire Citizens for the Arts' president. "One way to get across the true message of what America is all about is through the arts and humanities, and therefore we should put the arts and humanities up on top as far as the future of America."

At the Americans for the Arts Action Fund Member Reception scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday, June 2 at the convention, Arts Action Fund Executive Director Nina Ozlu, will give details on ArtsVote2008, the Arts Action Fund's latest initiative to impact the 2008 Presidential elections. The Americans for the Arts Action Fund was created for citizens and organizations who want to help advance the arts politically in America.

Other headlines:
• Public Artist Katie Salen discusses OneNature commissioned by Americans for the Arts for the Las Vegas convention
• Public Advocacy Innovator Mathew Gross featured in Forbes article on political blogging
• Houston Chronicle highlights findings from National Arts Policy Roundtable on arts philanthropy; NAPR findings detailed at convention session on Saturday June 2.

Americans for the Arts is proud of announce the launch of two new communications initiatives: ArtCast and ArtsBlog.  ArtsBlog is the blog of Americans for the Arts and will feature posts by various staff members of Americans for the Arts as well as outside experts.  It is our hope that ArtsBlog will be a source of valued information and a home for important discussions.  Comments and questions on ArtsBlog are both welcomed and encouraged.  ArtsBlog can be found online at http://blog.artsusa.org.

ArtCast is a monthly podcast produced by Americans for the Arts featuring Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO.  ArtCast can be listened to on ArtsBlog was well as on the video and audio section of the Americans for the Arts website (www.AmericansForTheArts.org/information_resources/video_audio).  If you would like to subscribe to ArtCast, you can do so via the Americans for the Arts Podcast feed or by using iTUNES.

Please participate in Americans for the Arts' Nationwide Survey on the Arts by clicking the image below: