The Arts Matter in 2008
November 29th, 2007 at 03:41pm nshoop
Earlier this summer the Americans for the Arts Action Fund launched ArtsVote2008, our effort to bring the arts to the forefront of the ‘08 campaigns. We’ve assembled staff and grassroots volunteers and are establishing a significant presence on the ground in New Hampshire–the first primary state. Thanks to the efforts of these dedicated arts advocates, we have already seen results on the campaign trail:
- Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM), just last month, announced his national education plan, which included a ground-breaking $250-$500 million proposal to invest in arts education in schools
- Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) herself contacted our New Hampshire ArtsVote leadership to highlight her record of support for the arts and said that she considers the arts a necessity, not a luxury
- Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (Rep.), himself a musician, has been outspoken in his support for arts education on the campaign trail enthusiastically calling arts education a “Weapon of Mass Instruction”
- Former Senator John Edwards answered a question from a University of New Hampshire student about how he would address the lack of funding for the arts in education during the MTV/MySpace debates on Thursday. He responded by saying, We have a responsibility to promote arts education not only at the college level, but at a much, much younger level: first, second, third grade. He also suggested that federal funding from Congress was the answer. “The president of the United States can go to the Congress and ask for specific marked funding for the things that we’ve been talking about. Whether it’s diversity in our academics or whether it’s the arts. Because I believe so strongly in the importance of the arts, I will ensure that we, at a national level, are providing incentives and funding to help promote the arts both at public schools and at colleges and universities.
As the presidential election ramps up, the Arts Action Fund will be updating our members and the media with the latest candidate information. But right now, in the early stages of this race, every candidate is a potential ally. With just a few weeks left before the first presidential primary ArtsVote is hosting the first ever Presidential Arts Policy Forum at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, NH. Candidate surrogates and prominent figures, including representatives from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Miss New Hampshire Rachel Barker, will speak about the importance of the arts in the 2008 presidential race. The event is free and open to all New Hampshire voters who support the arts. For more information, you can visit www.artsvote.org. This event will play a key role in ensuring we put a friend of the arts in the White House next year!
