Executive Director's Column

Testimony on Arts Education

by Jonathan Katz

Budget is not the only measure of a state arts agency's value. All the things that state arts agencies do—fostering imaginative problem solving; nurturing cultural industries and expression; ensuring that children learn through the arts; improving cultural access for the disadvantaged; helping communities shape their futures—these, too, are critical measures of an agency's value. These roles make state arts agencies critical to community well-being and resiliency, which is a complex quality of adaptability that enables an individual or a group to bounce back and move on.

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Announcements and Resources

News and Current Information

Support NASAA's Annual Fund . . . Current Federal Updates for SAAs . . . NASAA Elects New Board Members for FY2010 . . . NASAA Newsfeed Is for State Arts Agencies. . . 2009 Coming Up Taller Awardees . . . Studio Protector Helps Artists Plan for Disaster . . . Museums and Libraries to Receive National Service Medal . . . Laura Scanlan Appointed NEA Director, State & Regional Partnerships . . . Carol Ann Herbert Honored for Theatre Support . . . NASAA Publication of the Month: Design for Accessibility . . .

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Legislative Update

Congress Votes $12.5 Million Arts Increase; Senate Panel Sets National Service Increase

by Thomas L. Birch

On October 30, President Obama signed into law the final version of the bill appropriating $167.5 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in fiscal year 2010. . . . As part of the $1.15 billion appropriation proposed in July for the Corporation for National and Community Service, a Senate bill approves spending $50 million on a new Social Innovation Fund. . . .

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State to State

Showcasing State Arts Agency Ingenuity

by Jesse Rye

Artists-in-education residency practices from New Jersey . . . Nurturing emerging leaders in Oklahoma . . . Ensuring the safety of arts patrons in Arizona . . . Documenting Latino folklife in Idaho . . .

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Research on Demand

Support for Arts Education

by Angela Han

State arts agencies invest more than $74 million in arts education activities. This includes arts education in schools as well as after-school and out-of-school programs, early childhood learning, higher education, and adult and senior learning. A new NASAA fact sheet offers more information . . .

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