Delaware Arts Alliance leads delegation for National Arts Advocacy Day
Delaware Arts Alliance organized the Delaware delegation to National Arts Advocacy Day held in Washington, D.C., March 21. The delegation met with staff in the offices of Delaware’s Sen. Thomas Carper and Sen. Chris Coons, and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester to ask for their support of federal funding of the arts. As a result of the alliance’s visit and outreach, Carper co-signed a letter in support of the National Endowment for the Arts signed by several U.S. senators including Coons.
The 2017 National Arts Advocacy Day had a new urgency with the release of the Trump administration's 2018 Budget Plan, which calls for the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts, along with the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The NEA makes a direct impact on the State of Delaware's funding for the arts sector, contributing 20 percent of the Delaware Division of the Arts budget.
The delegation, which was led by alliance Executive Director Dr. Guillermina Gonzalez, included Jessica Ball, alliance operations specialist; Lorraine Poling, retired arts educator; Arreon Harley, director of music and operations, The Cathedral Choir School of Delaware; Alan Jordan, executive director, Delaware Symphony Orchestra; David Stradley, producing artistic director, Delaware Shakespeare Festival; Lynette Young Overby, deputy director of the University of Delaware Community Engagement Initiative and UD professor of theatre and dance; John Sarro, adjunct assistant professor and coordinator of music management studies in the UD Department of Music; and Patti Grimes, executive director of the Freeman Foundation.
Gonzalez stressed the importance of the delegation's visit to legislators. "National Arts Advocacy Day provides a strong opportunity to show our elected officials the importance of federal funding for the arts - and that the arts in Delaware make an impact on our economy as well as our culture. This year we are sharing a collection of stories compiled by the Delaware Division of the Arts that shows the importance of the arts in Delaware," she said.
Alliance board member Harley said, "The arts are so much interwoven into the fabric of Delawarean culture that I simply cannot imagine the state without a vibrant arts community. When I learned that the Delaware Arts Alliance would be sending a delegation to National Arts Advocacy Day, I felt compelled to answer the call, compelled to join the chorus of voices in support of the arts. We must be engaged today more than ever before. Furthermore, we must understand that we are responsible for ensuring that our state continues to support the arts and we find a way to increase aforementioned support. I, for one, would not be able to sleep if I learned that the NEA was gutted while I sat on the sidelines and played the role of the casual observer."
National Arts Advocacy Day is organized by the nonprofit organization Americans for the Arts, which has the mission to serve, advance and lead the network of organizations and individuals who cultivate, promote, sustain and support the arts in America. Each year, more than 500 grassroots arts advocates from across the country convene in Washington, D.C., and speak with their respective congressional leaders, to underscore the importance of developing strong public policies and appropriating increased public funding for the arts.
The Delaware Arts Alliance is the unifying voice for the arts and arts education throughout the state, advocating for the central role of the arts in advancing dynamic communities and a creative citizenry. DAA firmly believes that a strong creative culture enhances education, the economy and civic life. For more information, go to www.delawareartsalliance.org.
