There is no doubt that when most of us speak about "public support for the arts," we're talking about money - especially these days. But in reality, there is more to public support for the arts than a line item in a budget. In fact, when government budgets are tight and arts appropriations are meager, it is easy to lose sight of other ways that public policy can support arts and culture.   

An industry of that magnitude should play a major role in local community and economic development. Fortunately, there are opportunities available to many of us - right now - to begin to better leverage the impact of non-profit arts in our cities and towns. Municipalities all over Arizona are in the process updating what is called their local General Plan.  

The objective of this legally-required process is to develop a blueprint for how municipalities will develop in the future. Priorities are identified for neighborhoods, local parks and recreation, libraries, public safety, business development and - if we have our say - arts and culture.  

Nonprofit arts and culture organizations employ citizens who buy homes, spend money on consumables and pay taxes; they attract tourists and incent residents to spend locally on arts experiences; they support other retail businesses and they attract other employers who prosper because of proximity to cultural activities.  They are the definition of an economic sector.  

Our job, as arts and culture advocates, is to make sure our sector is treated like any other valuable local asset - recognizing the remarkable contributions of arts and culture and committed to insuring that it is a part of the blueprint for the future of our communities.  

So let me know what all of you are up to, and if Arizona Citizens Action for the Arts can be of assistance. Email me at rustyfoley@azcitizensforthearts.org. Thank you.  

The Arizona Commission on the Arts (ACA) has awarded 267 grants totaling $1,517,564 to organizations, local arts agencies, schools and community organizations in 13 Arizona counties for activities between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013.

The grants will support 26 festivals, 60 arts learning projects and 207 nonprofit arts organizations.

ACA grants serve as catalysts for nonprofit arts organizations, community groups and schools to provide opportunities for Arizonans to participate in and experience the arts.  Recipients are required to match ACA funding.

As we approach the Fall Arts Season, elections and the upcoming Arizona legislative session, now is the time for arts organizations to renew or join Arizona Action for the Arts.

Membership funds raised from arts organizations go directly to the costs of advocating for public support for the arts at the Arizona State Legislature and in our local communities.    

Arizona Action for the Arts' role as the statewide arts advocate and leading voice for public funding generated a significant return on investment this year. Our advocacy work resulted in longevity for the Arizona Commission on the Arts through passage of a 10-year reauthorization bill, restoration of an 8% cut to the Arizona Arts Trust and establishment of an Arizona Poet Laureate. We also served as a watchdog for issues affecting arts and culture in local communities all over Arizona.

But the job is never done, and we must be prepared to build on last year's success. Information about organizational membership is available by calling Michelle Peralta, 602-253-6535. Individual memberships are available online by clicking HERE.

We're grateful for your ongoing support.

Arizona Citizens Action for the Arts has moved into offices at 420 W. Roosevelt, a few doors down from our former location and right across the street from the Arizona Commission on the Arts. 

Although we've still got a few boxes left to unpack, the new space is both efficient and less costly than our previous offices.  The phone number, fax number and email address remain the same.

If you don't vote, your voice isn't heard. Vote smART Arizona, an Arizona Citizens Action for the Arts statewide voter registration and education campaign is running through Nov.6, the date of the

 Arizona General Election. As we study the results of the August 28 Primary, we will be preparing fresh information on candidates in the General Election.  

If you are still not registered to vote - there's still time. Visit app.votesmartaz.com  to register to vote and sign up to be on the permanent Early Voter list.    

Deadline to register for the General Election is October 9, 2012. 

Two companies with deep Arizona ties are being recognized by The BCA 10: Best Companies Supporting the Arts in America program of Americans for the Arts. The BCA 10, to be celebrated at an event October 4 in New York City, recognizes the best companies - small, midsize, and large - that are enriching the workplace, education, and the community through their exemplary support of the arts.

"Arizona - A Hot Place for Cool People: Rethinking Community's Role in Economic Development" - that's the title of a working session scheduled this week at the annual Arizona League of Cities and Towns Conference where Arizona Citizens for the Arts Executive Director Catherine "Rusty" Foley will present results of Arts & Economic Prosperity IV.

The new study is the most comprehensive ever undertaken across all 50 states and the District of Columbia by Americans for the Arts and several other national partners. The results make a powerful argument for the economic strength of the nonprofit arts and culture industry and role it plays in promoting job growth, tourism and other local economic activity.

In Arizona, five  communities participated -- the City of Phoenix, City of Mesa, Pima County, the Flagstaff region and the West Valley of Maricopa County - amassing data that shows that nonprofit arts and culture represents more than a half billion dollars in economic activity across our state.

The arts and culture industry should be a key player in local economic development planning, Foley told League conference attendees, because it:

* Helps spur economic activity in other growth sectors

* Is a direct and indirect job creator

* Generates significant state and local tax revenue

* Supports related economic activity far beyond admission revenue, and

* Is under-rated in magnitude and influence in local comprehensive economic development planning.

Other sample data from the five participating communities credits arts and culture with:

* 16,111 full-time equivalent jobs

* $350,650,000 resident household income

* $23,464,000 local government revenue

* $28,156,000 state government revenue

And nationally, the numbers are staggering:

* 4.1 million full-time equivalent jobs

* $86.7billion residential household income

* $6.1 billion local government revenue

* $6.7 billion state government revenue

* $9.6 billion federal income tax revenue.

To see the full report, visit www.AmericansfortheArts.org/economicimpact

OFFICERS 

Joel Hiller  

President, Arizona Citizens 

Brenda Bernardi,  

Vice President, Arizona Citizens 

  Tom Chapman

Karen Falkenstrom,  

Secretary

Dawn Brown,  

Treasurer

Jeff Rich,  

Member-At-Large

Steve Martin 

Past President, Arizona Citizens  

Barbara Fenster,

Chair, Membership Committee

MEMBERS   

Allan Affeldt,  

Winslow Arts Trust 

Representative Kate Brophy McGee

Arizona House of Representatives
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,

Miller-Russell & Associates

Phillip C. Jones,

Community Volunteer 

Cathy Knapp,  

Frazer Ryan Goldberg & Arnold LLP 

Robert Knight 

Tucson Museum of Art
Kate Marquez,  

Southern Arizona Arts & Culture Alliance

Rick Pfannenstiel

 Pfocus, LLC
Jackie Thrasher,

Retired Arts Educator

Cathy Weiss,  

Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts

Jeff Williamson,

Arizona Zoological Society