April 21, 2005

Dear Arts Advocate:

We are pleased to announce that the United States Senate is establishing a new bipartisan caucus dedicated to promoting the arts and humanities within the Senate. Please urge your Senator to join the new Senate Cultural Caucus. All the information you need, along with customizable pre-written letters, are available at Americans for the Arts’ E-Advocacy Center.

Last summer, Americans for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies generated a grassroots campaign to gauge the interest of Senators in joining an arts caucus in the Senate. The response was resoundingly positive and an influencing factor in establishing the Senate Cultural Caucus.

This new caucus is independent of the Congressional Arts Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, which was established in 1997 and now boasts 182 House-only members. Both caucuses are committed to highlighting the positive impact of the arts in America.

The four Senators spearheading the new Senate Cultural Caucus are Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Jim Jeffords (I-VT) and Norm Coleman (R-MN). They will also serve as co-chairs of the Caucus, which will work to highlight the programs and impact of the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Institute of Museum and Library Services. In their letter of invitation to fellow Senators, they detailed the important assignment that the Caucus is undertaking: "Future generations will learn about our history and ideals through our literature, paintings, dance and drama. Yet, we often overlook the important role of the arts in our daily lives…we can do much more to emphasize the broad array of activities that contribute in such a significant way to the cultural identity of our country. The Senate Cultural Caucus will provide opportunities to accomplish this goal."

It is important to recruit your Senator’s official membership in this bipartisan caucus, which is free to members. Our goal is to recruit at least 40 Senators to join the caucus by the end of the year. To help us get the word out, we encourage you to forward this email to friends and colleagues and ask them to write their Senators as well.

Thank you for taking action on this important matter. If you have any questions, please contact Justin Beland, Government Affairs and Grassroots Manager, at 202-371-2830, or jbeland@artsusa.org.