Americans for the Arts Weighs in on the Iowa Results

Received this yesterday via email:

Americans for the Arts Action Fund APPLAUDS Iowa Caucus Winners

ArtsVote Initiative has Secured Support for the Arts from Obama and Huckabee

Washington, DC – January 4, 2008 – Arts advocates nationwide applaud Iowa voters for selecting candidates with strong support for the arts. Arts advocates are very pleased to see that the Iowa Caucus winners, Senator Barack Obama (D) and Governor Mike Huckabee (R), have made extensive policy statements in support of the arts and arts education. Since May, ArtsVote, an initiative of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund, has been the voice of arts advocates across the nation. The initiative is dedicated to making sure that the presidential candidates make on-the-record statements in support of the arts and arts education.

Senator Obama has written two policy briefs outlining his support, and Governor Huckabee has made policy statements and has been extremely vocal for years about his support for improving arts education throughout the country. Their campaign materials on the arts are available online at www.ArtsVote.org. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards and Governor Bill Richardson also have statements in support of the arts.

In New Hampshire, the site of Tuesday’s primary, the candidates have heard from advocates from ArtsVoteNH—a partnership between Americans for the Arts Action Fund and New Hampshire Citizens for the Arts—in the months leading up to the election. Most recently, ArtsVoteNH held a statewide Arts Policy Forum at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, NH, at which five campaigns participated, including speakers on behalf of Senator Obama and Governor Huckabee. Video coverage of the event is available online.

Last summer, each presidential campaign received a copy of the Arts Action Fund pro-arts issue brief, outlining 10 public policy concerns, how they relate to the arts, and thoughtful proposals to address them. The issue brief is available online.

Americans for the Arts Action Fund’s ArtsVote2008 seeks to secure bold, new policy proposals in support of the arts and arts education in America from candidates during the 2008 presidential campaign. ArtsVote is a national initiative to help the arts impact the presidential election. In New Hampshire, the Arts Action Fund has partnered with New Hampshire Citizens for the Arts to identify, educate, train, and mobilize likely arts voters to help influence candidates to take strong positions for the arts.

The Arts Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit membership organization created by Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization for advancing arts in America. Launched in 2004, it seeks to engage citizens in education and advocacy in support of the arts and arts education. The Arts Action Fund’s goal is to enlist and mobilize citizen activists who will help ensure that arts-friendly public policies are adopted at the Federal, state, and local levels, and public and private resources are maximized. Additional information is available at www.ArtsActionFund.org.

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