On February 11, 2009, several KyAEA members attended the
Arts Advocacy Day Rally and Workshop in Frankfort, KY
This report was submitted by our PR Officer, Sarah Horn:

Rally:
    There were about 50 people attending the rally, which was led by members of ArtsKy and Kentucky Alliance for Arts Education. These two organizations are joining forces to be the state representative for all arts organizations (such as KyAEA and KMEA) within our state legislature.
    Here we learned about the mission of ArtsKy, which is to advocate for the arts throughout the state on our behalf, and KAAE, which is to advocate for specifically Arts Education.
    We also learned that an important issue, Senate Bill 1, has PASSED IN THE SENATE. It now moves on to the House of Representatives; ArtsKy expects the House to issue a Companion Bill (revised version?) by next week and will send information. This means that we need to call our House representatives and speak out about Senate Bill 1 NOW.
    At the Rally, David Cupps, the new Executive Director of ArtsKY, spoke about the goals of ArtsKy.  David has begun an ArtsKy Advocacy Round Table to establish our core principles as Arts Organizations: KyAEA needs to have a representative on this Round Table.
    Cecelia Wooden also spoke; she is our Legislative Agent for ArtsKy (basically a lobbyist).  She is an important person to know as she represents the interests of all arts organizations in the state to legislators.  She also has presented several Advocacy workshops throughout the state to share HOW to speak to your representatives effectively.

February 11th has now been officially recognized as Arts Day in Kentucky!

Meeting Legislators:
    Time was given to all of us to meet with our legislators, if we could track them down. While we had minimal success in actually meeting our representatives, our group left letters regarding how we feel about Senate Bill 1 with some House members, Governor Beshear, and the Governor's wife!
    We also used this time to discuss all we had learned so far and to think about what some goals might be in advocacy in our state.

Workshop:
    The afternoon workshop was the most beneficial time for all of us.  We made connections by speaking with ArtsKy members and KAAE members. These are organizations that we really need to build stronger relationships (even partnerships!) with.  Several strategies were presented during the workshop for arts advocacy. Here are some highlights:

Form Alliances with all other arts organizations: we can do this through ArtsKy

Create a unified, minimal, and focused message with ArtsKy

Do not stick with the same formula every year in how we approach advocacy; change is needed yearly.

A goal is nothing but a daydream without a plan! We need to establish a year round plan.

When speaking to legislators, speak with your head (use facts about how the arts make an impact), the heart (tell personal stories) and health (refer to what impact supporting the arts will have on their political career).




Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. Click HERE to link to their website.

Click HERE to read a letter from our President Elect, Judi Haynes, regarding staffing allocations for elementary art teachers.

Want to know what's happening with Arts Education in our state? For the most current developments go to the Kentucky Alliance for Arts in Education website.  Their Advocacy Page will update you on the politics of keeping arts at the heart of education.

If you have any upcoming advocacy-related events or new information you feel should be shared with our community of arts educators please email Sarah Horn.