Arts Advocacy

George Washington (1732-1799), U.S. president
"...the arts and sciences essential to the prosperity of the state and to the ornament and happiness of human life have a primary claim to the encouragement of every lover of his country and mankind."

Advocacy is essential for continued government support of the arts, and it is most successful when those advocating can demonstrate how ordered and influential they are.

Whether arts advocates contact their representatives directly, or work with the media to present a continual positive image of the arts to the public, arts advocacy is an essential ingredient of the effort to encourage funding and support from government at all levels.

To help people continue their advocacy efforts the Maine Arts Commission is pleased to provide a selection of the most popular online advocacy resources, and members of the agency staff are always here to answer questions and to help connect people with their local representatives.

Finding Advocacy Resources Online

Americans for the Arts http://www.artsusa.org/

This is one of the most complete online guides to advocacy available, you can find details of your local politicians, create letters to send to them and search each area of your state to find out the issues that affect the arts in your region.
Americans for the Arts advocacy section

National Assembly of State Arts Agencies http://www.nasaa-arts.org

Other State Agencies

Downloadable tools from other state arts agencies
California Arts Council's downloadable advocacy tools

Local

Maine.gov http://www.maine.gov

Find contact details for your local Maine representatives, write to them online, and find out exactly what is going on in the political world of Maine government.
Maine.gov advocacy section

To search for individual legislative bills, please use this link: Search for Bills

Advocacy and Education

Maine Alliance for Arts Education http://www.maineartseducation.org/advocacy.html

The Maine Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE) was founded in 1973 by a creative network of teachers, parents, artists, organizations, and community supporters, the Alliance works at the state level and in local communities to strengthen educational excellence in visual art, music, dance, drama, and creative writing. MAAE is a member of the national Kennedy Center Alliances for Arts Education Network, which has recognized the MAAE for its exemplary work on the local level and in advocacy.

The MAAE website offers various educational advocacy resources, such as Arts Education Partnership (AEP) which publishes research and advocacy materials that support the role of arts education in schools. MAAE advocacy section

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), U.S. president
"In the advance of the various activities which would make our civilization endure and flourish, the federal government should do more to give official recognition to the importance of the arts and other cultural activities."