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Protect arts and culture by preserving the tax deduction for charitable contributions. Contact your members of Congress today through Voter Voice.
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Kris Williams has big plans for the town that carries her name (coincidentally, of course). One of the drivers of the town's thriving arts scene, she has created the Williams Alliance for the Arts to, according to its mission statement, "create an art space and promote events that will help guide Williams future growth in the direction of culture and creativity."
That goal includes morphing a vacant elementary school into the Williams Center for the Arts. Though formal fund raising can't begin until the Alliance receives its IRS nonprofit designation, momentum is building to buy and renovate the 40,000 square foot building.
Williams told the Williams News that she "envisions the center offering classes and activities for all ages including visual art, dance, music, yoga, cooking and gardening" in a building with space also for conferences, art shows, receptions and seminars.
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Sponsor Spotlight 
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In addition to helping keep the lights burning in Arizona, APS has long been known for its support of arts and culture throughout the state. Through community giving that funds organizations contributing to "the vitality of Arizona" and that "impact the communities where our families and customers live and work," the company has now stepped forward as the Presenting Sponsor of the 2014 Governor's Arts Awards.
Jeff Guldner, Senior Vice President of Customers and Regulation, will chair the Governor's Arts Awards Organizing Committee, whose work is well underway for the event on March 25 at the Mesa Arts Center.
"At a time when arts and culture organizations continue to struggle financially, corporate support from companies like APS can mean the difference between success and failure," said AzCA Executive Director Rusty Foley. "The value of APS' consistent support, through both financial contributions and the donation of countless volunteer hours, cannot be overstated."
LEARN MORE
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Member News 
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The Desert Caballeros Western Museum may sit in Wickenburg, but its reputation transcends the city's borders.
Founded in 1960 "to collect and preserve the history, learning, lore and mementos incident to the development of and the Arizona territory," the Museum is staying true to its mission to display and interpret that defy stereotypes about Western art and
history with their new exhibit .This look at the town's abundant history shows "a frontier town changing along with the rest of the West," according to the Arizona Republic.
Funded by a grant from the Quayle Family Foundation, allowing the Museum to keep a loaned exhibition that was to travel to another museum after 15 years in Wickenburg, board member Mike Quayle
told the Arizona Republic that Wickenburg's history is not only important to the local area, but also to the rest of Arizona and the Southwest.
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 Save-the-Date
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Arts Congress
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Governor Arts Awards
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Board of Directors
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OFFICERS
Joel Hiller
President
Robert Knight
Vice President
Phil Jones
Secretary
Dawn Brown
Treasurer
Rick Pfannenstiel
Member-At-Large
Jeff Rich
Member-At-Large
Steve Martin
Past President
Tom Chapman
Chair, Advocacy Committee
Lynn Tuttle
Chair, Finance Committee
MEMBERS
Alan Affeldt
Winslow Arts Trust
Jason Baran
Salt River Project
Rep. Kate Brophy McGee
Arizona House of Representatives
Jennifer Burns
Public Policy Consultant
Sam Campana
Chair Emeritus
Mary Dryden
Tucson Symphony Orchestra League
Sen. Steve Farley
Arizona State Senate
Mark Feldman
Miller-Russell & Associates
Chuck Goldstein
EMCARE
Laurie Goldstein
Freescale Semiconductor
Anne Kleindienst
Polsinelli, PC
Cathy Knapp
Frazer Ryan Goldberg & Arnold LLP
Bernadette Mills
West Valley Arts Council
Maureen O'Brien
Musical Instrument Museum
Leah Fregulia Roberts
Arizona School for the Arts
Michael Vargas
Arizona Public Service
Vincent VanVleet
Phoenix Theatre
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Message from the director
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Please be a part of our plan for an active and successful 2014
It's that time of the year when media pundits on all sides offer us "tips" suitable for modifying our behavior and improving our lives - before the end of the year. Ten Ways to Reduce Your Tax Liability, 10 Tips for a Healthy Holiday Eating, 10 Holiday Stress Reducers, etc. Most of this unsolicited advice is designed to help us lead healthy, happier and more productive lives in the New Year.
Not surprisingly, we're pretty busy at Arizona Citizens for the Arts preparing for an energetic and productive 2014. We're working on our advocacy program for the 2014 session of the Arizona Legislature, we're putting together our voter outreach and candidate education program for the state elections and we're fine-tuning our business and community outreach efforts outlined in our new Strategic Plan.
Our work, however, always depends on the active participation of arts advocates like you. So, as we prepare to advocate on your behalf, we offer you 10 Ways to More Effective Advocacy in 2014.
There's strength in numbers. So, these first four tips will help us grow our army of arts advocates.
- "Like" Arizona Citizens for the Arts on Facebook. We post up-to-the-minute news about what's happening in the arts and culture policy arena, interesting information from other arts websites and journals, and important news from Arizona Citizens.
- Ask your Facebook friends to "Like" Arizona Citizens for the Arts on Facebook. There's strength in numbers, and the more advocates we have in our network, the stronger our voice.
- Sign up for Voter Voice alerts. You'll receive timely advocacy alerts that ask you to contact your elected officials about policy and funding issues in the Congress and the Arizona State Legislature.
- "Ditto" for encouraging your friends to register for Voter Voice.
Statewide offices in Arizona and every seat in the State Legislature are up for grabs in 2014. You can start being an involved advocate today using our next four tips.
- Learn who your elected representatives are through Voter Voice or by visiting the Arizona Secretary of State's website.
- Visit E-Qual to find out which of your local elected officials and candidates are collecting petition signatures online to get on the ballot. It only takes a minute for you to sign a petition online, and it saves money and time for your favorite candidates.
- Get familiar today with which state legislators supported the arts in the last session. Study our report on the Arts Heroes.
- Plan now to join us at our two most important advocacy events in 2014 - Arts Congress on Feb. 5 at the State Capitol and the 2014 Governor's Arts Awards, March 25 at the Mesa Center for the Arts.
Yup, our last two tips are about money. Your voice is so very important to us, but a few dollars sent our way by December 31 will keep us strong in 2014.
- If you are not a dues-paying member of Arizona Citizens for the Arts, please JOIN NOW. Your membership is a vote of confidence as well as an investment in advocacy for arts and culture.
- Already a member? Please consider an extra end-of-the-year contribution. Yes - it's tax deductible.
Not only will following these 10 tips put a positive finishing touch on 2013, it will put all of us on the path to a productive year of advocacy in 2014. Thanks to all for your support, and warm wishes for a wonderful holiday season.
Sincerely,
Catherine "Rusty" Foley
Executive Director
Arizona Citizens for the Arts
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GAA nomination deadline
approaches - Dec. 6th
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 Here's a way to get into the holiday gift-wrapping spirit: package up your nominations for the 2014 Governor's Arts Awards by the Dec. 6 deadline.
Online nominations are due by 5 p.m. that day in six categories for individuals and businesses that have made substantial and outstanding contributions to arts and culture in Arizona. Winners will be announced on March 25 at the Mesa Arts Center. The Governor's Arts Awards are presented by Arizona Citizens for the Arts in partnership with the Arizona Commission on the Arts and the Office of the Governor.
Since 1981, 158 awards have been presented in categories including Artist, Individual, Community, Arts in Education Organization, Arts in Education Individual and Business. The 9th annual Shelley Award recipient will be announced early in 2014.
Tickets and sponsorship information is also available on the website.
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Arts Congress 2014: A chance to step up, be heard
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 The 2014 Arts Congress, set for Wednesday, Feb. 5, is the one day each year that arts and culture advocates, patrons, educators, business people and voters can voice their support for arts and culture directly to Arizona Legislators.
And sponsors for the day are as important as individuals. The $125 sponsorship includes admission for four, recognition at the event, your organization's name on the AzCA website and printed event collateral and the opportunity to distribute your organization's brochures. Cost for individuals is $25 and includes advocacy training materials, Legislative meeting materials, coffee, morning snacks, lunch and bottled water.
The event begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. on the House Lawn of the Arizona State Capitol, 1700 W. Washington and continues until 3 p.m.
Register or become a sponsor.
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| AzCA kick off BVA re-launch |
 Business Volunteers for the Arts (BVA), a vitally important program that matches business professionals with arts organizations needing skills-based consulting expertise, is back in business. AzCA, with $50,000 in funding from a Wells Fargo's NeighborhoodLIFT grant, officially relaunched the program at a ceremony on Oct. 23, at the Wells Fargo Historical Museum. BVA suspended operations in 2012 when the Arts and Business Council of Greater Phoenix closed. BVA volunteers provide support in accounting, finance, law, marketing, public relations, human resources, strategic planning, information technology, graphic design and event planning. Volunteers are fully trained before being matched with arts organizations. In year one, the program is limited to AzCA members in the city of Phoenix only, but plans are to expand the program next year.
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Arts commission director discusses funding issues at arts advocacy network gathering
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Arizona Commission on the Arts Executive Director Bob Booker offered a broad-based presentation about how state legislatures nationwide are dealing with funding issues at the Americans for the Arts' State Arts Advocacy Network meeting in San Francisco last month.
Among the key presentation points from information gathered by the National Conference of State Legislatures were:
- After strong recovery in recent years, revenue growth is expected to slow.
- Year-end budget balances are expected to decline.
- Medicaid costs will continue to pressure state budgets
- The top three fiscal issues for 2014 sessions will be: Medicaid, education and state pensions
- The top 3 non-fiscal legislative issues expected in 2014 are gun control, immigration and energy development
For arts and culture funding this means that:
- Economic uncertainty continues to weigh heavily in funding debates.
- Many states have not fully recovered from the recession
- Changes in political leadership also results in less familiarity with arts issues.
The bottom line - Arts advocates must craft strategies that recognize that "arts" as an issue is not a top legislative priority.
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Art plays increasing role in helping military members recover
from physical and psychological trauma
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While the overall number of combat deaths has dropped, the number of returning service members suffering physical and psychological traumas has increased dramatically. More and more, the arts are playing a growing role in helping our military men and women and their families recover.
Recognizing the value of incorporating the arts into military standards of care, Americans for the Arts launched the National Initiative for Arts and Health in the Military in 2012 with a national steering committee of military, public and private-sector partners. The result is the new report, Arts, Health and Well-Being across the Military Continuum - White Paper and Framing a National Plan for Action. The complete report can be found in PDF form here.
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2013 off-year elections were good for the arts
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Many new pro-arts candidates were elected in off-year elections in the state and in major cities nationwide.
Here's a sampling: Virginia Governor-Elect Terry McAuliffe, Boston Mayor-Elect Marty Walsh, New York City Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio, Minneapolis Mayor-Elect Betsy Hodges, Dayton (Ohio) Mayor-Elect Nan Whaley, Detroit Mayor-Elect Mike Duggan and Pittsburgh Mayor-Elect William Peduto may face budget challenges, but all are arts supporters.
Arts-supportive mayors winning re-election included Kasim Reed of Atlanta, Christopher Coleman of St. Paul and Annise Parker of Houston. Meanwhile voters in Bend, OR passed Measure 9-94 which provided more funding for the arts through an increase in the local hotel lodging tax.
Locally, both newly elected Phoenix City Council members, Kate Gallego and Laura Pastor, responded to AzCA's candidate survey with strong support for local funding and for making arts and culture a centerpiece for community and economic development.
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| Application deadline for "Business Unusual" grants from the ACA approaches |
Deadline for the Arizona Commission on the Arts' Arizona Art Tank and Community Catalyst grant programs, made possible by the infusion of $1 million in cash from the Arizona Legislature, is Tuesday, Dec. 10.
Community Catalyst grants of between $5,000 and $10,000 will support collaborations between local arts and non-arts organizations in small and rural Arizona communities with populations under 100,000. The intent is to use the power of the arts to bring people together, bolster economic development through tourism and outside investment and enhance a community's sense of cultural identity.
Arizona Art Tank will award grants up to $10,000 to innovative artists and arts organizations through public presentations in five cities. Top applicants will pitch creative and entrepreneurial ventures to a live audience and a panel of expert judges will rank them based on a range of factors.
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Have you noticed our new look?
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In addition to the work we were doing in promoting arts and culture in 2013, Arizona Citizens for the Arts also has been fine-tuning its own governance model and working on a strategic plan. The Strategic Plan, developed with the assistance of nearly 100 stakeholders from around Arizona, will be unveiled very soon, but in the meantime we've made some changes that have required us to adjust our logo and redesign our newsletter.
Last year the AzCA board voted to allow the dissolution of Arizona Action for the Arts, a 501c4 that has been our companion organization for nearly 10 years. We've determined that Arizona Citizens for the Arts, alone, could accomplish its vital advocacy work within the legal limits of its own 501c3 status. So, we filed for the dissolution of Arizona Action for the Arts in June. As of July 1 Arizona Citizens for the Arts is the sole corporate entity devoted to promoting awareness of the important and impact, and advocacy for public funding support for the arts.
The updated newsletter design is courtesy of our intern, Kevin Godfrey. So, although "action" is no longer in our name or our logo, it is very much a part of our agenda, and we plan on continuing to move forward.
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