press room
For Immediate Release
03/31/2008Contact:
Beth Garcia
Goodman Media for Americans for the Arts
212.576.2700 ext. 242 or bgarcia@goodmanmedia.com
Recommendations Released from the Second Annual National Arts Policy Roundtable
WASHINGTON, DC — March 31, 2008 — Robert Redford, Chairman of Sundance Preserve, and Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, today announce policy recommendations resulting from the second annual Americans for the Arts National Arts Policy Roundtable, entitled Thinking Creatively and Competing Globally. Thirty-two leaders from business, government, philanthropy, education, and the arts convened at the Sundance Preserve in October 2007 to address the role of the arts in building the 21st century American workforce.
These recommendations are being released today in conjunction with key findings from The Conference Board’s forthcoming study, Ready to Innovate: Are Educators and Executives Aligned on the Creative Readiness of the U.S. Workforce? Additionally on April 1, Americans for the Arts is presenting official testimony to members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior in a Congressional hearing on “Role of the Arts in Creativity and Innovation.” Robert Redford will speak on the Roundtable’s recommendations.
“The nurturing of creativity comes into play in everything from world diplomacy to world economics, from business endeavors to social endeavors,” says Robert Redford in his submitted testimony. “It is creativity that gives all of it the nuance that often makes the difference. In all its forms, art plays a critical role in finding our way as people and as a culture.”
Roundtable participants focused on the challenge of preparing students to enter the workforce with the creativity and innovation skills needed to compete successfully in the new economy. They agreed that the arts are an indispensable tool for building the creative thinking skills essential to ensuring that American business and culture will prosper. The members acknowledged that if the arts are to play a role in helping to build the 21st century workforce, then leaders in the public, private, education, and culture sectors must recognize three fundamental principles:
- Literacy in the arts is an essential educational goal for the 21st century;
- The arts both nurture and enhance creative inquiry and innovation, complementing other fields that depend on these applied skills such as math, science, and engineering; and
- To foster and develop creativity and innovation skills that can be applied in life and work, opportunities for arts learning must begin before kindergarten and continue throughout higher education, as well as in the community and the workplace itself.
To achieve the recognition and understanding of the role of the arts in building a creative workforce, Roundtable participants made recommendations in three key areas:
- Research
Build a body of compelling evidence that demonstrates how the arts foster creativity and innovation wherever learning occurs, including pre-K and K-12 schools, higher education, the workplace, and the community. - Messaging
Promote the arts as an effective vehicle for cultivating the creativity, innovation, and inquiry skills of all Americans. Emphasize that arts education not only prepares students for entry into the workforce, but also fosters excellence among workers at every career stage. - Strategic Alliances
Develop strategic alliances with individuals and organizations that are concerned about America’s competitiveness in the 21st century global economy and that understand the need for developing creativity and innovation skills in the workforce.
"These recommendations are a start in helping prepare the workforce of tomorrow," said Robert Lynch. "Creativity and the arts are symbiotic and therefore, arts and arts education need to be an integral part of the equation."
A list of participants and the full recommendations report can be accessed online at
www.AmericansForTheArts.org/go/PolicyRoundtable.
The Americans for the Arts National Arts Policy Roundtable is an annual forum of national leaders who share a commitment to the arts and a willingness to meet and recommend policies critical to the advancement of American culture. The Roundtable is composed of distinguished individuals who serve at the highest levels of business, government, philanthropy, education and the arts. Americans for the Arts and Sundance Preserve are co-conveners of the Roundtable—teaming the two preeminent national organizations dedicated to advancing the arts and creative industries in the United States.
Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it has a record of 48 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.
The Sundance Preserve is dedicated to maintaining the balance of art, nature, and community as well as the cultivation of independent, innovative thought amongst artists, scholars, scientists, public policy, and business leaders. Residing within the protected splendor of its own preserved lands, it is the mission of the Sundance Preserve to inspire action for the benefit of civil society.
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