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New York Folklore Society P.O. Box 764 Schenectady, NY 12301 518/346-7008 Fax 518/346-6617 nyfs@nyfolklore.org |
Advocacy News and Action Updates ADVOCACY | Advocacy and Communications Tips | News & Action Updates | You Gotta Have Art!  From the New York Council for the Humanities House Alert: Advocate on Behalf of the NEH Monday, July 25, 2011 Dear Friends, The House of Representatives has proposed cutting funding to the National Endowment for the Humanities by $20 million. Funding for the state humanities councils—including the New York Council for the Humanities—would be cut by $9 million. This cut would follow on one already enacted last year; as a result, the NEH’s budget would fall punitively below the “2008 levels” stated as a goal for spending cuts. It is critically important that you voice your opposition to further cuts to the NEH and the state humanities councils, which continue to do excellent work at a time when our communities need all the opportunities they can get. To write your representatives, just visit the Federation of State Humanities Councils website to find an easy-to-use form letter you may personalize. Who loses out if New York State’s local humanities funding is reduced?
Sincerely, Sara Ogger Executive Director, New York Council for the Humanities From the Arts NYS Coalition Tell Albany Leaders to Restore Funding to NYSCA Today! It is Now or Never! Thursday, March 24, 2011 Tell Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver and State Senate Leader Dean Skelos to restore $2.8 million to the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). It’ important to our economy and important to our communities. NYSCA has already suffered the loss of 30% of its budget over the past four years. Ask our leaders to demonstrate their leadership and restore $2.8 million to NYSCA. Take Action! Your help is needed now to support the National Heritage Fellowships of the NEA Tuesday, March 3, 2011 Dear Friends and Colleagues: As you may or may not know, the NEA’s FY 2012 Appropriations Request calls for the permanent elimination of the National Heritage Fellowships in 2012. In particular, the NEA request proposes to abolish the National Heritage Fellowship, the American Jazz Masters Fellowship, and the Opera Honors in 2012, to be replaced with a new honorific award, NEA American Artists of the Year. This new discipline-based award would be made in two categories: Performing Arts and Visual Arts. Folk artists would be eligible for consideration, but forced to compete with nominees from other disciplines including Dance, Music, Musical Theatre, Theater, Design, Media Arts, Museums, and Visual Arts. This is not a change being imposed from without, nor is it related to budget cutting, but represents a fundamental CHANGE IN POLICY at the NEA. Please refer to pages 10-11 of the attached link: www.nea.gov/about/Budget/NEA-FY12-Appropriations-Request.pdf Maurice Hinchey serves on the committee which oversees the National Endowment for the Arts — the House Committe on Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and related agencies. He and José Serrano are Democratic members from New York. Those of us who work with folk and traditional artists know that traditional forms of art fare badly when judged with the same rubric and criteria as Western fine arts. It was, in fact, to address the exclusionary effect of discipline-based programs and the under-representation of traditional arts that the NEA created the Folk & Traditional Arts Program in 1977, and in 1982, the National Heritage Fellowships. What are the National Heritage Fellowships? The National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship program was created 29 years ago in 1982 after five years of vigorous discussion about how the nation might appropriately honor its master folk and traditional artists. Its intention is to honor those men and women whose contributions represent the depth and breadth of America’s cultural heritage, traditions at the heart of our national identity that are not always properly recognized. Since its inception, 358 National Heritage Fellowships have been awarded to recipients from 49 states and five U.S. territories. In New York State, over 20 artists have received the National Heritage Fellowship Award. These include Jack Coen (Irish flute); Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten (African American singer/songwriter); Juan Gutierrez (Puerto Rican drummer); Konstantino Pilarino (Byzantine icon woodcarver); Simon Shaheen (Arab-American oud player); Yacub Addy (Ghanaian drummer); Charles Campbell (Sacred Steel Guitar); Rosa Elena Egipciaco (Puerto Rican lacemaking), and many more. Why save the National Heritage Fellowships? National Heritage Fellowships are the only national award recognizing traditional arts and artists. Recognizing the importance of honoring American heritage, Congress has consistently supported this program for over three decades. National Heritage Fellowships honor not only the individual, but also the heritage and traditions of the community of which he/she is an integral part. The National Heritage Fellowships shine the spotlight on “extraordinary, ordinary Americans,” reminding us that the creativity and genius of the American people takes many forms, and that “national living treasures” are to be found in communities large and small, rural and urban, across our nation. In honoring America’s vibrant vernacular culture, its tribal, regional, ethnic, and occupational traditions kept in families and communities and passed down through generations, the National Heritage Fellows honor precious grassroots artistic traditions which deserve but too rarely receive national attention. In honoring tradition, heritage, community values and cultural continuity as well as artistic excellence, the National Heritage Fellowships differ significantly from other awards (including the proposed new award). The proposed NEA American Artists of the Year award will privilege professional artists and mainstream forms, to the detriment of recognition for traditional arts and artists. For more information about the awards: www.nea.gov/honors/heritage/NEA_HeritageFellows.html I am writing to ask you to urge Congressman Hinchey to continue to support the National Heritage fellowship program, while also remaining supportive of the National Endowment for the Arts and the important work that it does. Please feel free to contact me if you need further information or clarification. Thank you for your attention to this important issue. Ellen McHale Executive Director New York Folklore Society As the NYS legislature continues its budget negotiations throughout March, please let you voice be heard regarding support for the New York State Council on the Arts! Tuesday, March 1, 2011 Dear Arts Supporters: Funding for the arts is in deep trouble and your help is needed now. Gov. Cuomo has proposed a 10% cut ($3.5 million) in funding for the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) budget that is used to provide grants to arts groups in communities throughout the state. This cut is in addition to the 10% decrease in funding proposed for NYSCA staffing which has already been reduced from 55 to 29. The grants (local assistance) allocation of NYSCA has already experienced a 30% decrease since 2008. The impact of these cuts is felt by state residents in every locality, large and small, and by the hundreds of artists and arts organizations that produce, perform and provide programs. An additional 10% cut would be untenable and would be a blow to an important economic sector in the state. The arts are a revenue producer for the state and the current per capita spending of $1.80 is very modest for such an important economic sector in our communities. While it is reasonable to expect the arts community to share the pain, a 2% cut would be fairer and more reasonable. If you value the arts activities provided by artists and arts groups in your community and their impact on your local economy, please click go to the NYS Arts Coalition website to send a message to your legislators asking them to restore $2.8 million of the funding for statewide arts grants. This would reduce the cut to NYSCA from 10% to 2%, more in line with proposed cuts in other sectors. Thank you for caring. Sincerely, The Arts NYS Coalition http://artsnys.org From the New York Council for the Humanities Write Your Senators to Stop Proposed Cuts Tuesday, March 1, 2011 Dear Friends, Thanks to all of you who wrote recently to your elected officials in support of public funding for the humanities! Our efforts may have prevented the very worst of the proposals rumored to be considered by the House of Representatives. We are next focusing our efforts on the U.S. Senate, which can still help prevent destructive cuts from being enacted. If you believe, as I do, that the humanities play a vital role in our democracy, then there is an easy but powerful way to help: Ask your Senators not to cut funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities. There is every reason for our friends to continue to fight the good fight. Consider just a few eye-opening facts:
Every letter counts, even if you don’t have time to personalize the form letter provided. The Senate needs to hear from us about this issue, and with your help, we can keep a vital level of humanities offerings and services for our communities across the state. Keep our State strong! Yours, Sara Ogger, Ph.D. Executive Director Advocacy Alerts! Please Act Now! The Arts are currently under attack at both the state and National levels. Please act now by contacting your elected officials and asking them to support the arts! Wednesday, February 16, 2011 The Situation in New York State: The Arts NYS Coalition, a coalition of regional arts and cultural organizations, has called on Governor Cuomo and the legislature to restore $2.8 million to the New York State Council on the Arts Local Assistance budget. Within the Governor’s proposed budget, local assistance—those arts monies which are granted to organizations throughout the state—was cut by 10%. State Operations, the administrative side of NYSCA, was also reduced by 10%. The arts community is requesting that $2.8 million be restored to Aid to Localities, reducing that cut to 2%. The Council on the Arts has already experienced a 30% loss of funding for its grants awards over the past four years. This additional proposed decrease would leave it with 36% less in funding for arts groups. The Council on the Arts allocates 88% of its total funding in direct grants to arts groups throughout the state through a competitive process. These decreases will hit every community. Budget negotiations will continue at least through mid-March. Please contact your State Senators and Assembly persons today and ask them to restore $2.8 million to the local assistance part of the NYSCA budget. On the National Level: A $22 million dollar cut to the National Endowment for the Arts was proposed in President Obama’s original budget for FY 2012. According to an alert issued today by the Americans for the Arts, additional amendments have been proposed in the House of Representatives to further cut, or terminate, the Arts Endowment in the FY 2011 Appropriations measure. A breakdown of the President’s FY 2012 budget request is as follows:
Specifically hitting Folk Arts is the proposed termination of the folk arts, jazz, and opera fellowships. This would mean the loss of the National Heritage Fellows program. Again, contact your elected officials today. As they are currently debating the NEA appropriation in the next couple of days, the time to act is NOW! To send a message is easy. To access templates and to send an email to Congress, please use the following link: http://www.capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=28319516 To access email service to the New York State Senate and Assembly, go to http://artsnys.org. Thank you! Best, Ellen McHale NY Folklore Society nyfs@nyfolklore.org Save the Date! Arts Day in Albany Tuesday, February 8 BECAUSE ART MATTERS. Friday, February 4, 2011 Dear Folk Arts lover, advocate, and friend: Tuesday, February 8th is Arts Day in Albany, NY. Arts Day allows community members, art administrators, artists, and other cultural workers the opportunity to meet with elected officials to discuss arts funding in the 2011/12 New York State Budget, as well as other issues. NYSCA Cuts are Largest of Any State Agency Funding for the arts through the NY State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is 0.0003% of the current state budget! Funding for the State Council on the Arts has been reduced by nearly 30% over the past four years. This is the largest cut to any state agency. As a state, we have many attributes of which to be proud, but the arts are the soul of New York. Every day, artists and arts groups through out the state from the Adirondacks to Buffalo to New York City to Patchogue provide New Yorkers with pleasure, education, new ways of seeing the world, and enormous economic benefits. Today we have a new governor, who is facing serious budget deficits, and we need him and his administration to be aware of the extent of the past cuts and the need for thoughtful care as they develop the budget for 2012. It is critical that the Governor hear from those who enjoy and treasure the arts in New York State. TAKE PART!
Best, Ellen McHale NY Folklore Society nyfs@nyfolklore.org Advocacy Information Regarding the Endowments House Republicans Propose Cuts for Public Broadcasting, Arts and Humanities January 23, 2011 Dear Colleagues, I just received this notification regarding threats to the NEA and NEH and wanted to pass it on to you. This is going to be a tough year for advocacy, and the more that we can do to talk about the economic benefits of our programs, the better. More than any other year, the argument needs to be about economic benefits — through jobs created, tourism dollars, etc. I encourage you to contact your Representatives and Senator to voice your support for the endowments, especially if you are the recipient of NEA and NEH grants. From New York, representatives who are part of this “Republican Study Committee” are the following: Christopher Lee Tom Reed Nan Hayworth Richard Hanna Michael Grimm Chris Gibson Ann Marie Buerkle and here is the message from Philanthropy News Digest: House Republicans Propose Cuts for Public Broadcasting, Arts and Humanities As House Republicans gear up for a bruising budget battle, they have outlined a plan that would eliminate government support for a range of programs that benefit the arts and humanities, the Los Angeles Times reports. Their plan also contains large cuts to national service and international aid programs, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reports. As Congress prepares to return to work after the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and nineteen others outside a Safeway supermarket in Tucson, nonprofit lobbyists must come to grips with a bloc of House conservatives known as the Republican Study Committee that has proposed eliminating the national endowments for the arts and humanities, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Americorps, and the U.S. Agency for International Development as part of an effort to cut $2.5 trillion in federal spending over the next ten years. The Republican leadership in the House has yet to sign on to the plan, proposing less drastic cuts to these and other programs, but few doubt that the RSC will pressure leadership to stick by their promise to significantly reduce the size of government. According to the Times, federal arts and culture spending currently is about $1.6 billion a year, including $167 million each for the NEA and NEH and $445 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The proposed legislation does not call for cuts to the annual budgets of the Smithsonian Institution ($761.4 million), the Institute of Museum and Library Services ($282.3 million), the National Gallery of Art ($167 million), or the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (about $20 million). A worried Robert Lynch, president of Americans for the Arts, told the Times that arts supporters “are cognizant of the attitudes out there among some leaders, and we have to do a good job of education.”—Mike Boehm Best, Ellen McHale NY Folklore Society nyfs@nyfolklore.org Save the Date! Arts Day in Albany Tuesday, February 8 Visit your State Legislators and Advocate for The Arts in New York State! Watch this space for more information. January 13, 2011 Dear Folk Arts Colleague, Just a quick note to bring you all up to speed on statewide arts advocacy. As you probably already know, NYS Arts, which was the primary architect of arts advocacy, has disbanded. To fill the void, a group has formed, naming themselves the Arts NYS Coalition, to provide a base for advocacy during this year’s budget season. Most of the members are Executive Directors of Arts Councils, with the additions of myself (Ellen McHale), Jeremy Johanesen of the NYS Alliance for Arts Education, and Norma Munn of the NY City Arts Coalition. We are planning an Arts NYS Week, February 7-11, for local activities, and an Arts Day in Albany on Tuesday, February 8. More information will be coming shortly, but I wanted to get the dates to you so you can plan. The Coalition has a website, which will become more comprehensive as time goes on. I’ll keep you posted when things change substantially. Right now the coalition is urging individuals to meet with their legislators in their home districts during the week of February 7-11th. If you can make it to Albany on the 8th, that would be appreciated. However, everyone is aware of the current fiscal situation and the knowledge that travel monies might be restricted. This is an important year for arts advocacy. Please plan to do whatever you can. We know that we have made an impact in the past by speaking up and we’ll need a multiplicity of voices in order to effect a positive outcome. Please feel free to contact me, Best, Ellen McHale NY Folklore Society nyfs@nyfolklore.org
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