| Message from the Director
As the current year winds down and we prepare to celebrate the holidays, it is important for us to take a few minutes to say "thank you" again for your support for Arizona Citizens/Action for the Arts, and more importantly, your support for the arts and culture community in Arizona.
No doubt, these are challenging times that likely will continue in the near future. Fund-raising for arts and culture, the political support we may expect from elected officials and the priority that arts education is assigned in our schools - all require our diligent and aggressive attention.
But this is a job that we can we attack together. Even as we've been weathering our difficulties, we've been working to build the future. In 2011, AzCA/AA secured more organizational and individual members than we have in years. We consider that a vote of confidence from you which we take very seriously.
So in 2011, we provided you - our advocates, members and community supporters - more information about arts-friendly candidates in local elections and the impact of school elections on arts education. We were active participants in the Arizona Town Hall, "Capitalizing on Arizona's Arts and Culture," and we've worked diligently to help communicate the Town Hall recommendations as well as plan ways to implement them.
We aggressively reached out this summer to legislators who would be making an important recommendation about the reauthorization of the Arizona Commission on the Arts. And we are optimistic that we are positioned for success when the Legislature convenes in January.
You may also expect to see a legislative strategy focused on preserving state support for the arts, while exploring opportunities for increased funding in the future.
We already are planning our involvement in the 2012 elections, and we promise you a program that will give you the tools to be involved in electing arts-friendly candidates.
However, what we've done and what we will do is not possible without your support. We hope we are meeting your expectations, and we sincerely ask for your partnership in the coming months.
Warm wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year,
Catherine 'Rusty' Foley
Executive Director
Arizona Citizens/Action for the Arts
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| The Holidays May Have Your Attention,
Arts Congress Should, Too
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 In between those holiday greetings you're sending out, take a few minutes and sign up the 2012 Arizona Arts Congress on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at the Arizona State Capitol.
The full day of advocacy for Arizona arts, culture and arts education begins with registration at 7:30 and includes advocacy training and the critically important meetings with members of the state's House and Senate.
Our focus this year: reauthorizing the Arizona Commission on the Arts, preserving the Arts Trust - the Arts Commission's only remaining public funding stream - and advancing arts education.
The Sunset Review committee has recommended that the Arts Commission be reauthorized for the maximum of 10 years.
Arts Congress sponsorship opportunities are available for just $120.00.
For more information and to register, click here.
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Make Arts & Culture A Priority for 2012
Become an AzCA Member | |
 Show your support for arts advocacy in 2012 by becoming a member of Arizona Citizens for the Arts. Your financial support enables our comprehensive community engagement programs for arts and arts education, timely action alerts, an interactive digital advocacy center, advocacy trainings, the AzCA Legislative Liaison program and national and statewide webinars, among other benefits. Membership levels begin at just $10 for students and $15 for teachers, $50 for other individuals and up to $500 for Arts Champions and $1,000 for Arts Heroes. Organizational memberships also are available.
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| Congress Passes Budget for FY 2012
With $9 Million Cut for NEA, NEH
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The final Congressional budget agreement passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate includes $146.25 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), a cut of $9 million from FY 2011.
The appropriation matches President Obama's recommendation and represents a compromise figure between a higher amount proposed in the Senate budget and a lower amount in the House budget. The good news is that bill includes $24.57 million to fund arts education programs at the U.S. Department of Education, dollars which had been zeroed out in the original proposal to the House.
Congress will begin consideration of the budget for Fiscal Year 2013 after the first of the year. For more information regarding federal funding for the arts, please visit Americans for the Arts.
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Save this Date: March 27th, 2012
Governor's Arts Awards
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Make your plans now to attend the 31st Governor's Arts Awards, Tuesday, March 27 at the Herberger Theater Center in downtown Phoenix. Honorees will be recognized in six categories - Artist, Arts in Education (individual), Arts in Education (organization), Business, Community and Individual - and the seventh annual Shelley Award will be presented.
For information about special sponsorships please contact, Michelle Peralta at Arizona Citizens for the Arts, 602-253-6535.
A list of this year's nominees as well as the Shelley Award recipient for 2012 will be announced shortly after the first of the year.
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| Voices of Afterschool, Reflects Words, Faces
of Students in the Valley and Tucson
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One hundred essays from K-12 students in afterschool programs in the Valley and Tucson expressing their vision for Arizona's future have been published in Voices of Afterschool: An Arizona Centennial Writing Project.
Sponsored and organized by the Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence and recognized as a Legacy Project by the Arizona Centennial, participating students submitted essays based on one of three writing prompts: * I am proud to live in Arizona because... * Young people are important to Arizona's future because... * My vision for Arizona in the next 100 years is...
The essays are in grade-based categories including K-4th, 5th-8th and 9th-12th.
To prepare the children to write the essays, afterschool program staff reviewed Arizona history, geography and state landmarks. An independent panel of judges selected the 100 essays which were published alongside images students created last year for the Faces of Afterschool project.
For more information about the Voices of Afterschool and to download a PDF of the book, visit www.azafterschool.org.
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| AzCA Office Closed for the Holidays
We Will Return to the Office in the New Year
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The AzCA offices will be closed starting Friday December 23rd, 2011 and will reopen on Tuesday January 3rd, 2012.
Please feel free to email or leave a voicemail and we will get back to you in January.
We will return after the holidays, ready for a new year of advocacy for arts and culture.
Happy Holidays!
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Member Spotlight
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Jordan Lomahoema, 15, of Keams Canyon, Hopi Nation, represented the Grand Canyon Music Festival at a White House ceremony in November honoring the Festival's Native American Composer Apprentice Project.
The program was recognized for its effectiveness in developing learning and life skills in young people by engaging them in a rigorous program in music composition.
Jordan has been involved in the project since 2010. His first piece was a two-minute string quartet entitled "A Darkened Heart," which traced the events of the night his mother lost her life in a car accident.
The Native American Composer Apprentice Project was one of 12 after-school and out-of-school-programs nationwide selected from l of more than 470 nominations to receive the award administered by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities in partnership with the NEA, NEH and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
For more information about the Grand Canyon Music Festival, visit
http://grandcanyonmusicfest.org. |
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Advocacy Spotlight
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Across Arizona, a group of dedicated arts advocates work throughout the year to develop and nurture critically important relationships with elected officials. Our Legislative Liaisons represent every district in the state and serve as our direct link to members of Arizona's House and Senate and to our Congressional delegation.
They deliver vital messages and information about the importance of Arizona art and culture as a critical factor in our economy, our quality of life and a well-rounded education for our children.
Last year during Arts Congress at the State Capitol our liaisons helped us organize more than 80 face-to-face meetings with state legislators to ensure that whether they support our positions or not, elected officials had access to information necessary to making informed decisions about the benefits of arts and culture throughout the state.
Certain liaisons also played a key factor in briefing legislators on the recent Committee of Reference which has recommended that the full Legislature reauthorize the Arizona Commission on the Arts for 10 years.
These unsung heroes are important partners in our advocacy our efforts on your behalf. And we salute them.
You can join the Legislative Liaison team for 2012 by contacting our office, 602-253-6535. |
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Upcoming Events
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Arts Congress
February 7, 2012
Governor's Arts Awards March 27, 2012 |
 | | Board of Directors | |
OFFICERS
Steve Martin,
President, Arizona Citizens
Brenda Bernardi,
Vice President, Arizona Citizens
Joel Hiller,
President, Arizona Action
Julie Richard,
Vice President, Arizona Action
Tom Chapman,
Secretary
Dawn Brown,
Treasurer
Jeff Rich,
Member-At-Large
Jessica L. Andrews,
Past President, Arizona Citizens
MEMBERS
Allan Affeldt,
Winslow Arts Trust
Robert Benson,
Peoria Unified School District
Jennifer Burns,
Consulting & Policy Development
Sam Campana,
Audobon Arizona
Bill DeWalt,
Musical Instrument Museum
Mary Dryden,
Tucson Symphony Orchestra League
Karen Falkenstrom
Odaiko Sonora
Representative Steve Farley
Arizona House of Representatives
Mark Feldman,
Certified Financial Planner
Barbara Fenster,
Free Arts of Arizona
Wes Gullett,
First Strategic
Phillip C. Jones,
Community Volunteer
Cathy Knapp,
Frazer Ryan Goldberg & Arnold LLP
Kate Marquez,
Southern Arizona Arts & Culture Alliance
Senator Michele Reagan,
Arizona State Senate
John Tannous,
Flagstaff Cultural Partners
Jackie Thrasher,
Retired Arts Educator
Lynn Tuttle,
Arizona Department of Education
Cathy Weiss,
Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts
Jeff Williamson,
The Phoenix Zoo
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