Features
2009 Advocacy Days in Washington, DC
Andrea Kirsh is an independent art historian and critic based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a member of the CAA Board of Directors.
Participants in Humanities Advocacy Day: from left, Nia Page, CAA; Catherine Porter, Modern Language Association; Linda Downs, CAA; Eva Bosbach, Higher Education Research; Rosemary Feal, Modern Language Association; and Cathy Moran Hajo, Margaret Sanger Papers Project, New York University
I believe strongly in citizen lobbying: it’s our job to make sure our government hears from us. Representing CAA for Humanities Advocacy Day and Arts Advocacy Day, I found myself on Capitol Hill twice in three weeks.
Humanities Advocacy Day (March 10–11, 2009) had a simple brief: more funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). An important source of assistance for individual scholarship, the NEH also supports exhibition catalogues with substantial research; preservation projects such as environmental monitoring equipment for Philadelphia’s Rosenbach Museum and print storage at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; and education and digital-technology programs, such as the University of Pennsylvania Museum’s online Sumerian dictionary.
On the first day, I met the other CAA representatives—Linda Downs, executive director; Nia Page, director of membership, development, and marketing; and Judith Thorpe, fellow board member and professor at the University of Connecticut—at George Washington University, where the National Humanities Alliance briefed us on pending legislation and effective lobbying.
Legislators like to hear from their own constituents, so I joined a group of Pennsylvanians on the second day to meet with aides to Senators Arlen Spector (R) and Robert P. Casey (D), and Representatives Michael Doyle (D), Allyson Schwartz (D), and Chaka Fattah (D), with whom I shared stories about our states activities in the humanities. Judith tackled the Connecticut congressmen, while Linda and Nia joined the New Yorkers.
The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Josh Groban (center) advocates for the arts with Judith Thorpe (left) and Jean Miller at the Congressional Breakfast during Arts Advocacy Day
Larger, well-organized state delegations showed up for Arts Advocacy Day (March 30–31, 2009). Americans for the Arts, the group that organizes the annual event, knows how to harness the star power of the arts. Last year, Robert Redford and John Legend appeared at a House committee meeting. Testifying before Congress this year were Wynton Marsalis, Josh Groban, and Linda Ronstadt. Marsalis also delivered the Nancy Hanks Lecture on the Arts and Public Policy at the Kennedy Center the evening before our congressional appointments. His emotional address and musical illustrations got us all in the mood to advocate for the arts.
Pending arts legislation was considerably more varied than for the humanities. We asked for increased funds for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Office of Museum Services at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS); support for arts education through the Department of Education; an improved visa process for international artists; and the creation of a national Artists Corps, among other issues.
Again, Judith Thorpe and I joined our respective state delegations. We were joined by CAA development and marketing associate Sara Hines and Jean Miller, a CAA member from Towson University in Maryland who was also representing CAA’s Professional Practices Committee.
Americans for the Arts had armed us with functional statistics and slogans such as: “Art equals jobs. 5.7 million to be exact!” and “The economic impact of the nonprofit arts industry totals $166.2 billion.” Both Pennsylvania senators and the representatives are supporters of the arts and humanities, but that doesn’t make lobbying any less significant. It’s important to stress the value of arts issues to each legislator, and to leave vivid images of local examples. I used a Philadelphia example when speaking for the Artist-Museum Partnership Act, which would allow artists who donate work to museums to deduct full market value; they currently are only allowed to deduct materials costs. I described the room full of work that Jasper Johns has lent to the Philadelphia Museum of Art; he’s happy to have it near the museum’s renowned Marcel Duchamp collection. While the PMA would love to own work, which is worth millions of dollars, it can’t afford it. If Johns were to donate it, he’d only be able to deduct perhaps a couple hundred dollars for each painting. So, no donation.
After the long day on the Hill, I spoke with the other CAA delegates about their experiences. Of meeting with the staff of Maryland’s Senator Barbara Mikulski, Miller said, “The experience made me much less cynical about the political process and has mobilized me to be an arts advocate.” Similarly, Thorpe summed up both advocacy days: “Although I was active in my twenties in state politics, I did not have the opportunity to actually see the national legislatures at work in DC. One of the most important advocacy strategies that I learned was to present the arts and humanities from several perspectives: cultural importance, job creation, and education. This approach demonstrates the broad base that the arts and humanities cover and support.”
Last year, our efforts helped the NEA and NEH secure significant budget increases. With a new presidential administration that values the arts, we are optimistic that the arts and humanities will return to a proper place of dignity and respect in America. Citizen advocacy can make a real impact on policy, and I urge you to get involved. The National Humanities Alliance and Americans for the Arts are great resources for learning about and getting involved in advocacy on local, state, and national levels.
Published on May 7, 2009. This article was also published in CAA News in May 2009.
