A Rally for Americans to Advocate for the Arts and Humanities-Together! Keep federal funding in the mix.
The proposed U.S. federal FY18 budget completely cuts our 3 largest cultural agencies--the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities (all est. under President Lyndon B. Johnson) and the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (est. under President Ronald Reagan) which supports 123, 000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Yes, that's right, all three--100% gone. Plus the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (PBS channel). If approved by Congress and signed off by the President, procedures for nixing them would take effect October 2017. Say what? Federal spending for arts and humanities is a drop in the bucket but it has BIG impacts on arts education access, culture making, and the arts business sector.
On Saturday, August 19, 2017, Rally4OurArts asks YOU to stand up for smart arts and humanities funding. Local and national artists and advocates, special guests, and fellow arts and humanities lovers will join YOU on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol to celebrate the incredible role the arts and humanities have in education, our culture and business.
Private funding of the arts isn't enough to keep things equitable and diverse.