Thank you for considering a letter of support for the Lincoln Arts Council. There are many areas of effort from your Arts Council, some of which you may not know about.

Copy the paragraphs you would like to use from below, and send it to cityofficials@artscene.org, and it will automatically forward to the following city officials:

Mayor Chris Beutler		City Council Offices
Doug Emery City Council Member, District 1		Jon Camp City Council Member, District 2
Jonathan Cook City Council Member, District 3		Carl Eskridge City Council Member, District 4
Eugene Carroll City Council Member, At-Large		Adam Hornung City Council Member, At-Large
Jayne Snyder City Council Member, At-Large

Here are eight paragraphs describing Lincoln Arts Council activities which highlight several areas. We suggest using those paragraphs which most apply to your interests and activities as the basis for a letter of support for the Lincoln Arts Council. Choose your paragraphs and copy and paste them to build your own letter. Feel free to include any personal experiences where the arts have proven important in your life. Thank You.

The paragraphs, in order:

• Opening 
• Lincoln quality of life 
• Economic impact data for city and advocacy use 
• Public arts opportunity 
• Support for artists and arts organizations 
• Website and public information 
• Artist Residencies in the Lincoln Public Schools 
• Closing 

Dear Elected Official,

I am writing to urge you to make the arts a priority in the city budget by continuing support for the Lincoln Arts Council. The arts are important to me, and I know that the Lincoln Arts Council is important to the arts in Lincoln. I can not imagine what the Arts Council, with its small staff and modest funding, would become if city support were lost.

It's no secret that Lincoln is one of the best small cities in the nation. Forbes, The Ladies Home Journal, Parents, Sporting News and Inc. magazines, among others, have said so. I believe that our vibrant business, health, recreation, education and arts infrastructures are responsible for these accolades. The Lincoln Arts Council has proven to be a crucial link in our arts infrastructure and has helped to build the quality of life we enjoy in Lincoln.

A study conducted in 2005 showed that the arts generate $36 million dollars in economic activity per year in Lincoln, delivering more than $3.4 million in state and local tax revenue. The Lincoln Arts Council conducted that study, using professional, scientific tools. A number of city agencies use this study to encourage economic development, attract new businesses to the city and accurately describe Lincoln as a great cultural destination. The Arts Council is again conducting this study for more current data because agencies need it to help build Lincoln. Who else could conduct this study?

The Lincoln Arts Council coordinates projects that enrich our community such as the National Arts Program, the Lincoln Arts Festival, the Mayors Arts Awards, and helps publicize the First Friday Gallery Walk. These programs enhance Lincoln's quality of life, and demonstrate Lincoln's interest and commitment to the arts to potential residents. There is opportunity for every segment of the public to engage with the arts, thanks to Arts Council efforts.

The Lincoln Arts Council provides support for local arts organizations and individual artists through marketing, training, collaboration and, when possible, project funding.  It is an active agent for networking artists, and holds scheduled roundtable discussions for arts organizations to share best practices and ideas. There is no other resource that would replace the Arts Council's efforts in these areas.

Over a decade ago, the Arts Council had the vision to create a comprehensive arts website for Lincoln- ArtScene.org. The website features an events calendar describing over 2,000 arts and cultural events each year, an interactive artist registry of nonprofit arts organizations and artists, and frequently updated arts news and features. This living, vibrant window into the arts in Lincoln is a public treasure, and would be a terrible loss.

Like everyone else, the Lincoln Public Schools is stressed financially, with unfortunate impact on arts opportunities so inspiring to students. The Lincoln Arts Council has helped through artist residency programs. Residencies are conducted spanning many artistic disciplines such as modern dance, drumming, encaustic, digital media and fiber art. These programs are minimal in cost and receive little public acclaim, but are life-changing events for the students and teachers involved.

There are people who might appreciate the arts but don't see the need for public investment in the arts. They are missing the point. Investment in the arts is a direct investment in our quality of life. When there is no reliable, comprehensive source of arts information and advocacy, the arts slip deeper into a crowded background of commercial activity and noise. The Lincoln Arts Council helps sustain our quality of life by providing arts information and advocacy. For the many benefits delivered to the arts community, the public, and the city, there is no better return on investment to be found in Lincoln city government. I urge you to retain or increase that investment.

Sincerely,