Workshop: Establishing a Campaign/Policy Level Advocacy
Sunday, May 5th: 2pm-4pm (Conference Schedule)

Sheila Smith, Executive Director, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts

Learn the steps to building an advocacy campaign from the ground up. Sheila Smith, Executive Director of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, will draw on her decades of experience creating successful campaigns around a host of arts-related issues.

Whether the issue is a local tax referendum or getting elected officials on board with proposed legislation beneficial to the arts community, this workshop will give you the tools and the knowledge to plan and implement a successful advocacy campaign. Learn the ins and outs of advocacy, and how Minnesota passed the Legacy Amendment referendum, which gives over $20 million annually to the Minnesota State Arts Board.

The workshop will include an Advocacy 101 lesson, breakout groups, a role-play, and a presentation on how Minnesota created and successfully passed the Legacy Amendment.

Learn more about the Legacy Amendment, and the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Then find out about Sheila Smith’s background on our speakers page.

• NEA funding: the President just released his FY14 budget proposal, which includes a $154 million appropriation for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as well as a similar figure for the National Endowment for the Humanities. This aligns closely with AFTA’s official request for $155 million. Both represent a ~$9 million increase from last year’s approved budget, and a ~$16 million increase over the current year once sequestration is taken into account.

• Each year since he was elected, the President’s budget has proposed consolidating the Arts in Education program into a new funding pool called “Effecting Teaching and Learning for a Well-Rounded Education.” The program would combine support for “the arts, health education, foreign languages, civics and government, history, geography, environmental education, economics and financial literacy, and other subjects.” The fund has yet to be enacted, and each year the proposed total funding for the consolidated program has decreased. The FY14 request from the White House is $75 million to be shared by all of the subjects. In prior years, Congress has protected the Arts in Education fund as a distinct program at nearly $25 million. AFTA and other arts groups are requesting $30 million for FY14 and that the program remains separate from other subject-based funding.

• Tax reform appears to be on the way. The legislative staff we spoke with at Arts Day all believed that tax reform proposals will come out this summer. The charitable tax deduction remains on the table. The nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation is expected to release a report next month with recommendations for reforming the new tax code. The House Ways & Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee will likely not make any moves until that report is released. Read the Foundation Center’s release on the larger nonprofit community’s response to the possibility of tax changes affecting our donors.

Among his many accolades, Rep. Stephens was recently given the Shooting Star Award from the Georgia Production Partnership, which represents the film, television, and interactive gaming industries in Georgia. Read more about Rep. Stephens.

Then sign up to attend Georgia Arts Advocacy Day:

The next step is for a budget bill to be introduced in the House of Representatives, where it will be referred to the House Appropriations Committee. The subcommittee on Economic Development will make recommendations on the portions of the bill affecting the Georgia Council for the Arts. The bill will be referred back to the full House, with recommended amendments, for a vote and then the bill is passed on to the Senate and follows a similar process there. The Georgia Arts Network will keep you updated on this process, and we will provide you with the means to easily email your legislators, and specifically the members of the Economic Development subcommittees, once the bill is introduced and referred to committee. You can also speak in person with your legislators about the importance of the arts by attending Arts Advocacy Day with us on January 29th.

You can download and read the budget proposal in its entirety from the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget (OPB) website here.

Georgia Arts Network Re-brands with New Logo, New Website

Media Contact:
Wayne Jones, President

Today, the Georgia Arts Network unveiled a new logo and a new website. Both items reflect the Georgia Arts Network’s commitment that the organization’s mission, services, membership, and advocacy reflect the larger arts community across the state.

The past several years have seen many changes at the Georgia Arts Network. In 2010, the organization assumed the role of Georgia’s designated official arts advocacy organization by Americans for the Arts, which represents the arts community’s interests at the federal level. Last year, the organization changed its name from the Georgia Assembly of Community Arts Agencies, and also broadened its mission to become a powerful voice for artists, arts organizations, arts educators, and arts supporters in Georgia. As the Georgia Arts Network, the group is doubly committed to the mission of advocacy at the local, state, and federal level.

The website at gaartsnetwork.org features the latest news affecting the arts community. Information about the Arts Network’s upcoming events, programs, and membership can also be found there. The site will be expanding to include a statewide arts events calendar and more. In addition to the annual conference, May 5^th-7^th at the Hudgens Arts Center this year, the Arts Network hosts an annual Arts Advocacy Day at the state capitol, which will be January 29^th this year, and organizes a Consultants Bank of pre-screened consultants available to arts organizations at a very affordable rate.

Current Arts Network President Wayne Jones states “we look forward to working with an ever expanding network of members and partner organizations to advance the cause of the arts as a dynamic force in Georgia’s economy and a conservator of the story of our state’s proud culture.”

About the Georgia Arts Network:
The Georgia Arts Network is a statewide organization serving the arts community and arts supporters that has been operating since 1979. Its mission is to strengthen, connect, and advocate for the arts, artists, and arts education in Georgia.

Georgia Arts Network
PO Box 463
Conyers, GA 30012

http://gaartsnetwork.org
http://www.facebook.com/GAarts
http://www.twitter.com/GAArtsNetwork

Click here for a PDF version of this Press Release for distribution.

Elizabeth H. Weaver has worked in arts administration for 25 years in Cobb County. She believes in team work, thinking outside of the box and most of all the importance of the arts in our lives. Through her experience as an arts administrator for Cobb County Government, she has assisted in the design, implementation and programming of three full programming arts centers, a 600 seat proscenium theatre, renovation of a historic house and it’s property, the creation of numerous arts alliances and the design and development of a 2,400 seat amphitheatre.

Biography

Dr. Kathleen Thompson has a diverse range of experience including 37 years as an arts educator, board member of two county arts groups and the Advisory Board of the Georgia Council for the Arts, and Executive Director of the Pickens Arts and Cultural Alliance. Projects that she has directed include community murals, photographic projects that involve community volunteers, historic preservation, and arts festivals. Kathleen is experienced in and interested in projects that work with underserved audiences and minorities. She initiated and organized state-wide youth exhibit spaces at the Atlanta Airport, the Georgia Department of Education, and the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank. She has directed 37 grants totaling $122,000; 1979 to 2009, plus a 1.7 million dollar federal grant involving character education through the arts. Publicity is another area of expertise. Thompson has written over 100 articles for national magazines, lessons for the Georgia Council for the Arts and the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games.

Biography

Candace Long has been in the arts & entertainment sectors since 1970 as a: Performer, Writer, Composer, Theatrical Producer, Entertainment Project Developer, Branding & Marketing Consultant and Arts Leader. She understands the “calling” and the struggles of the creative journey. Her musical, A Time To Dance, was written to showcase undiscovered African-American talent and went on to garner 11 musical awards…but was stopped cold through reverse racial discrimination. In 2001, Ms. Long mobilized women investors to re-stage a touring production to encourage the gifts of young people. When the premiere fell on the ill-fated September 11, 2001, she was left financially devastated. During a subsequent 3-year “wilderness,” she sought answers to surviving the “creative journey.” The experience inspired her book, Wired For Creativity, and Creativity Training Institute to help others develop their gifting. In 2008, she earned an MBA to assist fellow “creatives” in implementing their vision…and helping business leaders unlock creativity in their people. She has served as Vice-Chair/Communications of Women In Film & Television International and the Georgia Film Commission, and currently serves on the Executive Board of the National League of American Pen Women, the nation’s oldest organization for creative women.

Check back soon for full biography!

Areas of Specialty
• Accessibility
• Board Development
• Diversity Building
• Financial Management
• Marketing/Public Relations
• Organizational Planning
• Strategic Planning

Consulting Methodology

Client List (past 3 years)
• VSA of Arts of Georgia

Major Projects (past 3 years)
Working with partner agencies and venues on access issues. Prior to moving to Georgia I worked with several theatres on Board relations, strategic planning and with the state arts council on access for people with disabilities and other underserved populations.

Kathy Hoskins is an award-winning creative director and a certified media buyer for Bright Ideas Group, a full service advertising agency in Macon, Georgia.  With over 30 years of combined media and agency expertise, she consults with clients to identify strategic marketing initiatives and to develop innovative creative campaigns.  A personal passion for the arts has created opportunities for service as an active arts patron, advocate and leader. A successful professional track record in the non-profit sector has also naturally led to the agency’s strong emphasis in cultural tourism, arts marketing and capital campaign development. An innovative approach to public relations using social media, buzz marketing and special events is combined with traditional tactics to create comprehensive cutting-edge campaigns that are memorable and inspiring. Kathy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Jacksonville State University and is certified by the Media Buying Academy.  She has judged dozens of local, regional and national creative competitions and is the recipient of more than 300 creative advertising awards.