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Advocacy Highlight
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The Arizona Primary Election is a little less than three months away.
On August 26, we go to the polls to select party nominees for all the major state offices, including Governor, all 90 seats in the State House and State Senate and numerous offices at the county, city and school board level - plus candidates for all nine U. S. Congressional seats.
It's time to give yourself
a voter "check up".
Are you registered?
Check the status of your voter registration by visiting the
Arizona Secretary of State's elections website. If you are NOT registered, you may also register here.
Are you on the Permanent
Early Voting List?
If you wish to be automatically mailed an early ballot for each election, you may enroll with the County Recorder in the county in which you live.
Do you know in what Legislative and Congressional
district you live?
The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission
can tell you.
Are you ready to Vote smART? Watch for the relaunch Vote SmART Arizona (link to the website),our one-stop voter and candidate information and education web site
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Sponsor Spotlight
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The mission of the Arizona Lottery is to support Arizona programs for the public benefit by maximizing net revenue in a responsible manner.
The Arizona Lottery, approved by a statewide public initiative in November 1980, has become increasingly popular with citizens over the years due in no small part to the millions of dollars it's returned to state coffers and the contributions it returns to community and nonprofit organizations that support education, health and public welfare, the environment, and economic and business development.
Over the years, the Lottery has supported Arizona Citizens for the Arts by sponsoring various aspects of the Governor's Arts Awards. For the past two years, the Lottery has underwritten the participation of the fine artists who create the original artwork given to arts awards' honorees. We are pleased that in 2015, the Lottery, again, will be a sponsor of the Artist awards.
More information is available at
The Arizona Lottery.
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Member News
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Phoenix Theatre, Arizona's oldest arts institution, remains a vibrant part of our state's present and future.
The longtime Arizona Citizens for the Arts member recently revealed an expanded theater center with a soaring glass atrium lobby with bar and lounge, additional rehearsal and entertainment spaces and a new state-of-the-art black box theatre. The new spaces and expanded programming only enhance the institution's reputation as a keystone to the cultural scene in Phoenix. In keeping with its history, the theater was also integral part of a coalition of cultural groups who've worked with the City of Phoenix this year to designate the new Central Arts District. For more information visit http://phoenixtheatre.com/history-phoenix-theatre
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Got a favorite building? Vote
in the Arizona 100 Buildings Project
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Voting ends June 6 for the Arizona 100 Buildings Project, a national effort sponsored by the Society of Architectural Historians to develop a comprehensive online encyclopedia for the 100 most representative buildings, landscapes and sites in every state.
A working group of academics, design and preservation professionals as pulled together a master list of more than 150 Arizona buildings, most of which have achieved some level of recognition. To cast your vote, click here and follow the instructions.
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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
Peter Rutti
Westlake Reed Lakowsky
Michael Vargas
Arizona Public Service
Vincent VanVleet
Phoenix Theatre
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Message from the director
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Advocacy partners needed to set stage for future success
Stages are darkening all over Arizona. Blockbuster exhibitions are coming to an end. Charity events are taking a hiatus. Over much of Arizona the "season" is over.
Arts and culture groups are busy winding up this year's business, even as they are focused on next year's programming. And so it is at Arizona Citizens for the Arts.
Elsewhere in this newsletter, we're pleased to report on some of the successes of this year. But we too are just as engaged in setting our stage for next year.
Two things are critical: 1) Ending our budget year in a fiscally strong position, and 2) Making sure arts and culture voters are well-prepared to participate in the elections later this year.
August 26 brings the Primary Election with numerous important offices at stake - none more so than that of the Governor. We're at work already sharing important information with the gubernatorial campaigns about the impact of arts and culture and the important contributions our sector makes to our community and economic vitality.
We're also assessing key legislative races where we need to educate candidates about the importance of arts and culture. And we will be sharing information with you about how to get involved in your local county, city and school district elections too.
In a few weeks, you'll be able to visit a revitalized Vote smART Arizona website to learn the important information you'll need to know about arts and culture issues and candidates before you vote.
As with all of Arizona Citizens for the Arts' endeavors, our successes depend on the support and participation of you, our advocates. We do the work we do for you, but you also are our partners in the task.
That's why we need your help today. We need to raise $6,000 in contributions by June 30 to meet the goals we've set for ourselves.
Our plans for the election are ambitious. And know we're better positioned for powerful advocacy efforts than we've been in years.
But Vote smART costs money, and so does paying off the costs of our successful advocacy effort this year.
May we count on you to make an extra effort with a contribution today to insure a vigorous advocacy effort during the elections and beyond? This year, we've accomplished a lot together, and so many of you have been generous with your support. But there's so much more to do. And a strong voice for arts and culture during the elections and beyond is so critical to our success. An extra contribution before June 30 would make such a difference. For a contribution of $25 or more, we'll also send you our "I Vote smART" button so your friends, family and colleagues know that you stand with us. We promise, we are more committed than ever to building support for arts and culture, and it's because of your support and your participation in our advocacy efforts. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Catherine "Rusty" Foley
Executive Director
Arizona Citizens for the Arts
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State legislature repeats $1 million allocation for Arts Commission
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The Fiscal Year 2015 budget passed by the Arizona Legislature and signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer renews the $1 million allocation from the "rainy day fund" for the Arizona Commission on the Arts.
A similar $1 million allocation in this year's budget was the result last year of a bipartisan effort for supportive legislators in the state House and Senate.
When the allocation was not included in the Governor's original budget, Arizona Citizens for the Arts advocates and members of the Arizona Commission on the Arts embarked on an energetic advocacy campaign that was highlighted by the 2014 Arts Congress in February and numerous one-on-one meetings with state legislators.
Ultimately, the $1 million was included in the legislative versions of the budget that eventually was passed into law.
Like last year, the $1 million will be invested by the Arts Commission directly into arts and culture organizations all over Arizona.
"Much of the success of this effort is the result of the work by our advocates," said Bob Booker, executive director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts. "The legislature heard those messages and believed that an additional investment of $1 million would return dramatically more to our local communities and local economies. We are very grateful."
Notes of appreciation also can be directed to individual members of the legislature and Governor by visiting the AzCA Legislative Action Center.
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Vigorous advocacy efforts help restore arts funding in Tucson and Phoenix
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Huge outpourings of emails and phone calls, plus personal testimony at community hearings has resulted in restoration of arts funding in the Phoenix and Tucson city budgets.
In Tucson, the City Council approved Tucson City Manager Richard Miranda's revised recommendation for $350,000 to the Tucson Pima Arts Council (TPAC).
Miranda initially recommended $100,000, but, as Kathy Allen wrote in the Arizona Daily Star, "we'd like to think" Miranda increased the allocation "because there was such a swift and loud protest from the art community - artists and art lovers."
The approved budget for TPAC, however, is still $50,000 less than last year and much reduced from the $828,230 budget in 2007. TPAC is funded by both the City of Tucson and Pima County.
In Phoenix, the City Manager's originally recommended cutting the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture budget by 18%. However, after 20 public hearings, the manager's revised budget restored funding to last year's level.
Earlier this month the Phoenix City Council gave preliminary approval on a 5-4 vote to $3.5 billion city budget the restores arts funding to last year's level.
"That's good news as it relates to arts and culture in Phoenix," said Arizona Citizens for the Arts Executive Director Catherine "Rusty" Foley. "After hearing citizen testimony at some 20 public hearings, the proposed budget cuts to arts, culture and other important city and community services were restored. That sends a powerful message about the strength of our collective voices."
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"Turnaround Arts" project uses arts to move the needle on Student Outcomes
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A national program advocated by actress Kerry Washington
(Django Unchained, Ray, The Last King of Scotland, Scandal) is helping change attitudes about school and outcomes in the classroom.
Turnaround Arts, started by the President's Commission on the Arts and Humanities of which Washington is a member, is reaping benefits by using the arts to help narrow the achievement gap, increase student
 engagement and improve culture and climate in the country's highest poverty schools.
The public-private partnership brings high-quality arts education resources into targeted schools through collaborations with state arts agencies, school districts, foundations and educational organizations.
"The arts are not the whole solution," Washington wrote on HuffingtonPost.com. "We need strong leadership, effective teachers and hard work on many fronts. But arts education gives our schools effective tools to reach and teach students."
For more information, go to click here.
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Why do businesses choose not to contribute to the arts?
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 Its a question often asked but not as often studied. The 2013 Business Committee for the Arts (BCA) Survey of Business Support for the Arts looked into what motivates businesses to consider - or not consider - partnerships with the arts.
Some of the reasons offered:
- Prefer to focus on other areas like education and social services.
- Give primarily to organizations where this an existing relationship.
- Does not fit strategic business goals.
- Lack of employee interest in the arts.
- The arts haven't made a convincing case for why businesses should give.
That last bullet may be the most important.
In an Americans for the Arts blog post, Jordan Shue explains that "many times...(businesses) don't know how the arts can benefit the company and its employees, and not because the arts are not perceived as useful to society." She also wrote that "it's important to remember that 66% of the organizations in the survey stated that they have never been asked to support the arts.
How do you change this dynamic? It begins by "starting open communication with companies that historically have not shown interest in supporting our sector."
For more details about the study visit Partnership Movement.
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