17 Illinois Arts Advocates Take the Hill at National Arts Advocacy Day

Advocates from every corner of Illinois traveled to Washington DC to join hundreds of other arts advocates for Americans for the Arts' National Arts Advocacy Day.

The Illinois Arts Alliance teams met with the offices of Senators Durbin and Obama, and Representatives Bean, Costello, Davis, Emanuel, Hastert, Jackson, Johnson, Kirk, Lipinsky, Schakowsky, and Weller.

The IAA teams discussed the following issues:

• Increasing National Endowment for the Arts funding to $176 million in FY2008
  
  
• Increasing National Endowment for the Humanities funding to $177 million in FY2008
  
  
• Increasing grants to museums in within the Institute of Museum and Library Services to $39.9 million in FY2008
  
  
• Appropriating $53 million for the U.S. Department of Education's Arts in Education programs in FY2008
  
  
• Strengthening arts education in No Child Left Behind
  
  
• Encouraging charitable gifts to arts and culture by making the "IRA Rollover" provision of the Pension Protection Act (S.819/HR1419) permanent, removing its ceiling of $100,000, and lowering the age of individuals allowed to take advantage of the legislation.
  
  
• Allowing artists to take a fair-market value tax deduction for gifts of their own work rather than just the cost of the materials used to create the work by co-sponsoring S548/HR1524
  
  
• Improving the visa process for international artists
  
  
• Increase funding by $10 million for the Cultural Programs Division of the State Department's Office of Citizen Exchanges
  
  
• Support a budget of no less than $430 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in FY08

Americans for the Arts has more information on these issues.

Among the highlights of the legislative meetings was Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. signing onto the 110th Congressional Arts Caucus. This will be Jackson's (shown below) first year as a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus. Representative Jan Schakowsky, a past Congressional Arts Caucus member, also signed onto the 110th Congressional Arts Caucus during her meeting with Illinois arts advocates.

Representative Norm Dicks (D-WA), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, held a Congressional hearing on the importance of supporting the National Endowment for the Arts with testimony by Wynton Marsalis, Chris Klein, Mayor David Cicilline of Providence, James Raisbeck, Dr. Sheila C. Johnson, and Robert L. Lynch.

Americans for the Arts also has more infomation on National Arts Advocacy Day.

Teaming with the Illinois Arts Alliance:
Michelle T. Boone, Arts Advocate

Warren Davis, Director, Organizational Giving, Art Institute of Chicago

Greg DiDomenico, Executive Director, Hinsdale Center for the Arts

Betty Flam, Political Liaison, Palatine Arts Council

Erin Gilbert, Interim Director, Congo Square Theatre

Ra Joy, Executive Director, Illinois Arts Alliance

Janeane Keller, Assistant to the Director, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

Lisle Soukup, Public Policy Director, Illinois Arts Alliance

Sheridan Turner, President and CEO, Kohl Children's Museum

Christy Uchida, Managing Director, Redmoon Theater

Alene Valkanas, Former Executive Director, Illinois Arts Alliance

From VSA Arts:
Mike Hertz, Board President, VSA Arts of Illinois

From Theatre Communications Group:
Rachel Kraft, Executive Director, Lookingglass Theatre Company

Lisa Green, Trustee, Lookingglass Theatre Company

From National PTA:
Marjorie Susman, Philanthropist

April Wainwright, Program Coordinator-Arts in Education, National PTA

Anna Wesclak, President, National PTA

More than 400 Grassroots Arts Advocates Take to the Halls of Congress
March 14, 2007 - Americans for the Arts

Photos from the event

Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. signs on to the Congressional Arts Caucus	Congo Square Interim Director poses with Grammy-award winner Wyclef Jean in the halls of Congress
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky poses with former IAA Executive Director Alene Valkanas, Krannert Center for the Arts Assistant to the Director Janeane Keller, and Art Institute of Chicago Director, Organizational Giving, Warren Davis.	Left to right: Congo Square Interim Director Erin Gilbert, IAA Executive Director, Ra Joy, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., and Redmoon Theater Managing Director Christy Uchida
From left to right: Hinsdale Center for the Arts Executive Director Greg DiDomenico, IAA Public Policy Director Lisle Soukup, VSA Arts of Illinois Board President Mike Hertz, Congressman Judy Biggert, Palatine Arts Council Political Liaison Betty Flam, Americans for the Arts Manager of Government and Public Affairs Nicole Sparks, Americans for the Arts Intern.

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