Executive Director's Column

What Effective Arts Constituencies Do

by Jonathan Katz

Since November, each of the six regional arts organizations has provided me the opportunity to address NASAA members at one of its meetings. One factor that has impressed me as critical in determining how state government will treat its arts agency is the degree to which the state's arts community functions as a constituency for its state agency. . . .

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Announcements and Resources

News and Current Information

New NASAA Website Launched . . . Why Should Government Support the Arts? . . . Join Your Colleagues for Assembly 2010 . . . Rhode Island Youth Is 2010 Poetry Out Loud Champion . . . Barnett Symposium on the Arts & Public Policy May 24-25 . . . NEA Research Note: Rural Arts Participation . . . Census 2010 Response Rates . . .

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Legislative Update

NEA Chair Testifies on Arts Budget; Arts Education Testimony in Senate

by Thomas L. Birch

Rocco Landesman presented to the U.S. House of Representatives the administration's budget proposal of $161.315 million for fiscal year 2011 for the National Endowment for the Arts. Landesman noted that the 40% of NEA program funds granted to state arts agencies broaden the arts endowment's reach . . . A U.S. Senate committee considering reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act heard testimony explaining the value of integrating arts education into schools' core curriculum. . . .

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State to State

Showcasing State Arts Agency Ingenuity

by Jesse Rye

Virginia celebrates women in the arts . . . New programs in Minnesota . . . A productive partnership with Utah PTA . . . New York's public meetings webcast . . .

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Research on Demand

Support for Individual Artists

by Angela Han

Individual artists are a crucial part of a state's creative environment. NASAA's new fact sheet on state arts agency (SAA) support for individual artists notes that, in addition to awarding artists close to $9 million in fiscal year 2009, SAAs support them in a variety of ways. . . .

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Did You Know?

Nonprofits Are Bracing for a Tough 2010

A large majority of respondents to the Nonprofit Finance Fund's recent survey of the state of the nonprofit sector expect fiscal year 2010 to be at least as difficult financially as FY2009. Arts organizations are affected similarly to other nonprofits, although more expect a decrease in government funding . . .

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