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FACTS
National Study Shows $111.8 Million in Economic Activity
and 2,759 Jobs Generated Annually in Providence Through Non-Profit
Arts and Cultural Industry
Providence is highlighted in Americans for the Arts' Arts and Economic
Prosperity III report. See Mayor Cicilline's press
release on the study and the results
JOIN
RI Citizens for the Arts!
RI4arts is a non-profit arts advocacy organization working in Rhode Island
for the benefit of all artists and arts organizations, as well as
for the benefit of the community-at-large. RI4arts has lobbied successfully
since 1999 for the State Arts Council's budget, securing increases
to the budget for two consecutive years and maintaining legislative
and financial support for the arts in Rhode Island. The organization
works to organize, educate and understand the needs of the Rhode
Island arts community, act as a voice for that community, and further
raise awareness and support among the community-at-large. For more information
on becoming a member, contact us at PO Box 1632, Providence, RI 02903
phone & fax (401) 633-6014 or click
here
For every $1 spent on an arts experience, an additional $23 is spent by
the in state attendees ($38 by out of state attendees) in surrounding
establishments. With this, the arts in Rhode Island are a wise
investment. RISCA supports artists that contribute to the positive
impact on education, our economy, workforce development, and quality of
life in our state. Increased funding is needed to take the arts to
the next level in performance and sustainability. If the arts
is important to you, we encourage you to help us get this
message.
The request for a $400,000 increase to the RI State Council for the
Arts (RISCA) for competitive grant funding was heard in both the House
and Senate Finance Committees in the past two weeks. While we had
a strong show of support from testimony at the Hearings, it's not
enough. We need to continue sending the message to
members of the Education and Finance committees on how important this
increased funding is to the arts in Rhode Island.
Visit the RI4arts Advocacy
Page
for more information
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Arts Advocacy Day at the State House is
Tuesday, May 20, 2008.
The day is dedicated to recognizing the arts is an important
sector in the Rhode Island economy and quality of life. Legislators
need to hear from you - their constituents - that the arts
are a priority.
The day includes an educational workshop on how to advocate
in a challenging legislative season with our guest, John
Longo, Clarendon Group. Afterwards, you will meet
with your legislator in meetings that you set up prior. We
will celebrate together at the end of the day with remarks
from key leaders in the General Assembly and the arts.
Lunch will be provided. Look forward to seeing you
there!
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RI4ARTS UPDATE
The RI4arts 2008 Arts Policy Survey
Rhode Island Citizens for the Arts is conducting a brief survey to hear from
the RI public what issues and opportunities are important today. The information
gathered from the survey will be used by the RI4arts Policy Committee to develop
a multi-year policy agenda for the organization. Please take this opportunity
to spend 3 minutes sharing your thoughts with us, so that we might all work
together toward a more vibrant future for the arts in Rhode Island:
Advocacy Update
NATIONAL from Americans for the Arts
Increases to Federal Arts Programs!
Including the largest increase to the National Endowment for the Arts
in 24 years, an Omnibus appropriations bill passed in the House on
December 17, 2007. The bill will provide the NEA with a $20
million increase over last year's funding, for a total of $144.7
million. It also
includes a slight increase in arts education through the U.S. Department
of Education from $35.3 million to $38 million to cover the first national
survey since 1999 assessing arts education - part of Americans for
the Arts advocacy effort. The Corporation of Public Broadcasting
will also see a $20 million increase to their FY2010 budget. The
federal museum office will see a slight decrease in funding. The
bill was to be considered by the Senate on December 18 and signed
by the President later that week. The final FY09 budget will
be announced in early February.
Artist Visa Legislation Introduced in House
10-22-2007: Representative Howard Berman (D-CA) has
introduced H.R.
1312, the Arts Require Timely Service Act, which has been reported
out of the House Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee and is expected
to be considered by the full House Judiciary Committee soon. This
bill encourages a speedy approval time for foreign artists invited
to perform at American venues. Similar provisions have been incorporated
into various pieces of Senate legislation, but have failed to gain
approval on the Senate floor. This issue was recently covered
in a front
page story of the Washington Post. To read more background
information about artists visa legislation, visit the Americans for
the Arts' issue
brief.
LOCAL
Scratch Tickets for the Arts - SOLD!
While still available in stores, the three-month run of the Scratch Ticket
for the Arts, generating revenue for RI State Council on the Arts, ended
December 31, 2007. Thanks to all of you that supported the effort with
purchasing tickets and/or selling them at your venues. We will be announcing,
along with RISCA, the resulting amount as well as the plan for its distribution
into the arts community, in the coming weeks.
Pawtucket Announces City Fund for the Arts
In December, Pawtucket Mayor James Doyle announced a new grant program for
arts organizations that reside in the City of Pawtucket. The fund,
this year at $25,000, is designed to support operational expenses for
local arts organizations that maintain year-round programs of performance,
exhibition and other arts activities. It was developed to promote long-term
sustainability of the City's growing arts community that have helped
increase in tourism and boost local business economy. Read coverage
on this fund in the Pawtucket
Times here.
Preservation Grants Support Arts and Cultural Facilities
On December 7, Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts announced the 2007 slate
of State Preservation Grant awards, worth a total of $1.94 million, for
capital preservation work at 20 museums, cultural art centers, and public
historic sites in 13 communities around the state. In the last five
years, the State Preservation Grant program has awarded $6 million towards
cultural facility projects throughout RI. The Grant program has
been made possible by two bond issues, supported and advocated by RI4arts,
among others. The first in 2002 created the program and another in
2004 extended it. Past recipients included AS220/Perishable Theatre,
Trinity Repertory Theatre, and the Providence Performing Arts Center, as
well as CityArts/CVS Highlander High School and Cottage C on the RI College
Campus. This year's recipients include the Museum of Natural History,
John Brown House, and Ladd Observatory.
Read
the Providence Journal coverage here.
ISSUES IN THE ARTS: EDUCATION
RI Arts Learning Network - Update
Thanks to the advocacy efforts of the Arts Learning Network, the
State Board of Regents has declared the arts a "core subject area" for
all Rhode Island students, and students must "demostrate proficiency" in
one or more art forms in order to graduate from a Rhode Island high school. With
five years behind them, The Arts Learning Network has recently begun
a strategic planning process for the next five years, kicking off with
a day-long retreat on October 26, of which RI4arts participated.
The past five years has seen many successes with the
Network. Among its accomplishments: helping to define what "proficiency
in the arts" means, discipline by discipline, and to connect the resources
to help make it happen; the Arts
Passport program, which connects high school students with performances
and arts activities in their community; the Arts
Map, which helps Rhode Islanders locate arts learning in their
area of the state; and through the use of student networks, along
with a professional
network of representatives in different regions of the state, identifying
arts resources and assist teachers, parents and peers support
arts learning "in the home, the school and the community".
ARTS & ECONOMICS
The Arts & Economic Impact Study Featuring Providence
At a luncheon on October 30, Providence will once again be recognized
for its forefront leadership in the Creative Economy. The Arts & Business
Council of RI presents their 2007-2008 Speaker Series with Patricia Martin,
author of Ren Gen: The Rise of the Cultural Consumer and What it
Means to Your Business. Martin notes "America is on the brink of
a Renaissance, and Providence is leading the way." Providence Mayor
David Cicilline and the Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism recently
announced the Arts & Economic Impact Study, in collaboration with
Americans for the Arts. The study shows $111.8 Million in Economic
Activity and 2,759 jobs are generated annually in Providence through
the non-profit arts and culture industry. To see the full report,
visit the City
of Providence homepage and click on the "Arts & Economic Prosperity" link
at the bottom of the page.
ARTS in the NEWS
New
Lottery Ticket to Benefit Arts Council, Providence Journal, 10/3/07
Art
for the Aging, Providence Journal Editorial, 9/23/07
The
Arts Funding Balancing Act, Seattle Times, 10/14/07
Arts
Groups Hit Hard by State Budget Cuts, The Times (Illinois), 10/16/07
Speakeasy
with... Flora Maria Garcia, CreativeLoafing.com (Atlanta), 10/17/07
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