press room
For Immediate Release
03/16/2005Contact:
Sara Walker
Goodman Media International for Americans for the Arts
212.576.2700 x245
Arts Advocacy Day Celebrated on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON, DC — March 16, 2005 — Americans for the Arts, in conjunction with the Congressional Arts Caucus, The Creative Coalition, and 75 national arts organizations from around the country, brought together entertainment, arts, education, and policy leaders on Capitol Hill yesterday for Arts Advocacy Day 2005. Creative Industries 2005: The Congressional Report was distributed and the critical need for federally funded arts programs was addressed.
On Arts Advocacy Day, arts leaders, including Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, were joined on Capitol Hill by the following film and television artists who are members of The Creative Coalition:
- Joe Pantoliano (“The Sopranos,” Creative Coalition Co-President)
- Giancarlo Esposito (“Homicide,” The Usual Suspects)
- George Wendt (“Cheers”)
- Tim Blake Nelson (Oh Brother Where Art Thou?)
- Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters, Miss Congeniality)
- Hill Harper (“CSI: NY,” Black Folk’s Theater Company)
- Harry Hamlin (“L.A. Law,” “Veronica Mars”)
- Phillip Bloch (fashion stylist)
- Cady Huffman (The Producers - Broadway cast)
- Kerry Washington (Ray, Save the Last Dance)
- Fiona Apple (singer/songwriter)
Grassroots arts advocates fanned out across Capitol Hill, meeting with more than 200 Members of Congress. In those meetings, they provided Members with copies of the 2005 Congressional Arts Handbook (including issue briefs on federal cultural agency appropriations, tax policy, international issues, and transportation enhancements)—available online at www.AmericansForTheArts.org/Issues/Advocacy_CongressionalHandbook.
Arts Advocacy Day was officially kicked off yesterday morning at a Congressional Arts Breakfast on Capitol Hill, organized by Americans for the Arts in conjunction with the Congressional Arts Caucus. At the breakfast, Americans for the Arts and the U.S. Conference of Mayors jointly presented the 2005 National Award for Congressional Arts Leadership to U.S. Representative Chris Shays (R-CT).
Speakers at the breakfast included:
- Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO, Americans for the Arts
- Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR)
- Tom Cochran, executive director, U.S. Conference of Mayors
- Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA), Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Anne M. Northup (R-KY), Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT), Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY)
- Dana Gioia, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts
Performances were provided by:
- VSA Arts’ Patrick Henry Hughes, a 16-year-old pianist and vocalist from Louisville, KY.
- Brandon Camphor, a vocalist from the Duke Ellington School for the Arts in Washington, DC. Accompanist was Victoria Alma Castello, Duke Ellington School for the Arts voice department.
Just prior to Arts Advocacy Day, on Monday evening, March 14, the acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns delivered Americans for the Arts’ 2005 Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy to a capacity crowd in the Concert Hall of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Burns’ speech, “Architectural Undertow,” explored America’s rich cultural history including the influences of Thomas Jefferson, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Mark Twain. Murray Horwitz, director and chief operating officer, American Film Institute Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, introduced Ken Burns. Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, made opening remarks. The evening also featured an original jazz composition performed by the Howard University Art Ensemble.
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 more than 40 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.
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