HALF OF MY HEAD IS IN A PHOTO WITH MY SENATOR!
Yea! Half of my head is in a photo with my state senator. Really. Truly. You can see my receding hairline right here.
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So what? Okay, a bit of context. Several weeks ago I attended Arts Advocacy Day, a two day marathon-like arts advocacy blitz of the nation’s capital. It was my first time to attend. I hope it won’t be my last.
Here’s the skinny.
THE ARTS ADVOCACY. Bombed out of my mind from jet lag after traveling for a day and a half, I half expected a small gathering of “arty” folks in a wee hotel office room. I was met instead with hundreds (thousands?) of boomers and seniors and millennials and everything in-between, representing schools, nonprofits, for profits – some “arty,” some “lawyer-y,” some casual, some formal – all passionate about the state of the arts in our country. At my table alone – in a giant conference room – I met a contingent of high school thespians from Colorado, collegiate painters from Georgia and senior art lovers from Hawaii.
From morning till night we soaked in diagrams, graphs, and advocacy tools from a range of experts. We heard from specialists on the economic power of the arts. We listened to seasoned congressional know-it-alls about how to address issues of arts funding with our representatives. We acted out scenarios of how we’d make our pitch.
Stats and figures flew through our heads. Did you 89% of Americans agree that the arts are part of a well-rounded education for K-12 students? From the constant media barrage of our day it seems incredible that 89% of Americans agree about anything! In 2010 nonprofit arts and culture organizations pumped an estimated $61.1 billion into the economy. And yet, taxpayers contribute only 4 cents annually to support these artistic (and economic) engines.
We received booklets, flyers and even links to “rapid response toolkits” to deal with artistic funding cuts in our communities. We received “top ten” lists to memorize:
10 Reasons to Support the Arts
It was ART MATTERS – shock and awe. And it was truly inspiring.
THE BLITZ.
The next day – bright and early – this giant wave of arts advocates tromped to “The Hill,” armed with knowledge from the previous day’s “advocacy.” A crystalline blue sky and balmy sun-drenched weather buoyed our visits. We met with senators and congressmen and congresswomen and congressional staffers and anyone else within earshot. A giant sea of people all cavorted in and out of offices for one unified purpose: TO TELL OUR LEADERS THAT WE BELIEVE ART MATTERS.
On my state “team” we were expecting ten minutes with each senator, tops. Instead we received at least forty-five! And promises of continued support. And smiles. And photos.
And one of my senator’s staffers cut out half of my head in a photo. Perhaps they didn’t want to see the erosion. But the photo doesn’t show the whole truth. The truth is that I’m all in. My whole head. My whole body. Everything. More art? Yes. More art education? Yes. More funding for the arts? Yes. More talking about the arts? Yes.
Come join the movement.
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Mark Branner
TYA Program Director (theatre for young audiences)
Assistant Professor
Department of Theatre + Dance
University of Hawaii, Manoa
branner@hawaii.edu
808.956.2931