ELECTION 2012

State Advocacy

ARTS North Carolina is a statewide advocacy organization for the arts. ARTS North Carolina calls for equity and access to the arts for all North Carolinians, unifies and connects North Carolina’s arts communities, and fosters arts leadership.

Recently ARTS North Carolina mailed 268 surveys to North Carolina candidates for House and Senate and had 67 responses. To find out where your candidate stands on art and art education before the election on November 6, 2012, click the following link. >> http://www.artsnc.org/action-center/election/

National Advocacy

The Arts Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit membership organization affiliated with Americans for the Arts. They are the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. Launched in 2004, the Arts Action Fund seeks to engage citizens in education and advocacy in support of the arts and arts education.

Simply put, the arts are essential to the proper functioning of our society.  The arts continue to demonstrate their ability to provide categorical evidence of their impact on social issues that concern virtually every facet of American society.  The arts are especially important for our children.  Students with an arts rich education:

•    Have better grade point averages
•    Score better on standardized tests in reading and math
•    Have lower dropout rates

Funding for arts education programs in schools is being cut back or eliminated.  Many arts organizations have had to make drastic reductions in hours, and offer fewer productions each season. The work of the Arts Action Fund helps reverse these trends. The Arts Action Fund is the only national organization that mobilizes Americans in the fight for arts funding and arts education. They are building a nationwide army of citizen activists who will help guarantee that arts-friendly public policies are adopted at the federal, state, and local levels.  Add your voice and learn more >> http://www.artsactionfund.org/

Local Advocacy

Since the 1970’s, the Arts & Science Council has distributed all non-facility-related City of Charlotte funding and Mecklenburg County funding for cultural organizations and programs. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg/ASC Public-Private Partnership for cultural affairs represents a broad range of interests in culture including art, science, history and heritage. The ASC provides a nationally recognized model for support of a local cultural community, combining resources from the public sector with those of the private sector to maximize impact.

Arts & Economic Prosperity IV, conducted by Americans for the Arts and published in 2012, shows the economic impact of the arts and culture industry in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The industry generates $202.79 million in local economic activity and supports 6,240 jobs. All of this generates $18.1 million in revenues for state and local governments. This study once again indicates that art means business for Charlotte-Mecklenburg and the state of North Carolina. >> Cultural Data Publication -  Executive Summary