HONORING AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS ON THE OCCASION OF THEIR 50TH ANNIVERSARY
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts was founded in 1960, and was originally called the Community Arts Councils, Inc (CACI). Later, in 1964, CACI adopted a new name, the Arts Councils of America (ACA). Finally, Americans for the Arts was created in 1996 as a result of the merger between the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies (NALAA) and the American Council for the Arts (ACA)—one of a small number of successful unions between two national nonprofit groups. Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch has led the organization since the merger, growing Americans for the Arts' annual budget from $3 million in 1996 to $13 million in 2009; and
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts played a central roll in the formation and establishment of the National Endowment for the Arts in 1965; and
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts has provided leadership and training to local public and nonprofit arts agencies, Arts and Business Councils, Business Committees for the Arts, state arts agencies, state arts advocacy organizations, and community-based cultural organizations across the country in helping their numbers grow from 50 to 5,000; and
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts produces annual events that heighten national visibility for the arts and arts education, including Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, DC; the Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy; the National Arts Awards; and the Public Leadership in the Arts Awards; and
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts has enjoyed a strong partnership with the National Lieutenant Governors Association for the past four years when the two organizations jointly began awarding the prestigious Public Leadership in the Arts Awards; and
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts continues to produce groundbreaking research on the size and economic impact of the nonprofit arts industry through its series on “Arts and Economic Prosperity,” which reports that approximately 100,000 nonprofit cultural organizations generate $166.2 billion in economic activity every year supporting 5.7 million jobs and generating $29.6 billion in government revenue; and
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts understands the complex ecosystem of support for the arts and has expanded its leadership, advocacy, and training to also promote private sector support of the arts as well as professional development in state-of-the-art earned income techniques at its National Arts Marketing Project Conference; and
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts brings together the arts policy interests of all its national partners, including the National Lieutenant Governors Association, the Conference Board, and the American Association of School Administrators, at its National Arts Policy Roundtable, which is co-convened by Robert Redford at the Sundance Preserve; and
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts has been a leader in promoting active participation in arts education both in and out-of-school through its professional development work and national visibility PSA campaigns, The Arts. Ask for More;” and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the United National Lieutenant Governors Association congratulates and honors Americans for the Arts for its 50 years of service in promoting the arts and arts education in the United States.
Passed this 31st Day of July, 2009.
Co-Sponsors:
Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton, Wisconsin
Lt. Governor John Bohlinger, Montana
Lt. Governor Patty Judge, Iowa
Lt. Governor Barbara O’ Brien, Colorado
Lt. Governor Daniel Mongiardo, Kentucky
Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, Maryland
Lt. Governor Tim Murray, Massachusetts
Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, Virginia
Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts, Rhode Island
Sec. of State Ken McClintock, P.R.
Lt. Governor Gregory Francis, USVI
Lt. Governor Brian Dubie, Vermont
Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy, Nebraska
Lt. Governor Carol Molnau, Minnesota
Contact: National Lieutenant Governors Association
Director Julia Hurst
(859) 283-1400 or
jhurst@csg.org