Arts Advocacy Crossing Borders: the Public and Private Debates Over Arts Funding

Tuesday, October 20, 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm

Organized by Judith Kaufman Weiner, executive director, Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations.

Presented by Judith Kaufman Weiner; Dan Hunter, executive director, Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities; Ra Joy, executive director, Illinois Arts Alliance; Senator Stan Rosenberg, President Pro Tempore, Massachusetts State Senate.

Advocacy for arts and culture is changing, moving from solely the public policy arena to discussions within communities, boards of directors and within granting organizations. The debates have also moved online and to social networks, where the controls are decentralized and can be opportunistic. In tough economic times, the debate intensifies in a struggle for scarce resources.

How do we make the argument for arts funding within our organizations and in our communities, what is the role of the funder in this debate, and how has the explosive growth of online grass roots communities moved the debate beyond traditional forums and changed the advocacy game?