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2008 Arts Action Toolkit

Five arts advocacy actions you can take right now!
Information about the arts and advocacy

2008 is a very critical, and exciting, year for the arts in Wisconsin. These are some of the exciting and positive developments leading advocacy and visibility for the arts and arts education this year – which includes the campaign season (Presidential, Congressional, and, 3/4 of the State Legislature are up for election) and the 2009-2011 state budget process:

1) Arts Wisconsin's 56 Cents - The Change Wisconsin Needs campaign calls for support for the Wisconsin Arts Board's New Economy Funding Initiative - increased investment in the state's cultural assets to enhance Wisconsin's regional economic development based on quality of life, arts education, and strengthening the state's arts infrastructure.

2) Wisconsin participated in the first National Endowment for the Arts' Education Leaders Institute in March 2008, with a team of arts, education, business, and governmental leaders, led by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster, at this high-level policy convening about the future of arts education statewide and nationally. Superintendent Burmaster (a musician and former music teacher) recently made a major statement on the critical importance of arts education for all Wisconsin students

3) Arts Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Alliance for Arts Education are partnering on a major project to "benchmark" the state of arts education in Wisconsin, to report on the first stage of the research in spring 2008. This research will greatly enhance advocacy efforts for arts education locally and statewide.

4) Lt. Governor Lawton and Supt. Burmaster will co-chair the Joint Task Force on the Arts and Creativity in Education, to begin its work in April 2008, to review program and policy issues related to arts education, and make recommendations for positive change.

5) Wisconsin's film industry incentives, led by Film Wisconsin, are in place as of January 1, 2008; they’re already attracting a lot of attention from the international film world and will strengthen Wisconsin's position as a leader in the creative economy.

These and other exciting moves will inform advocacy for the arts and arts education in 2008 and beyond. It’s in your best interest to get involved because the success of these efforts means more resources (i.e., more money and visibility) for your work and your community.

Use Arts Wisconsin's Arts Action Toolkit to learn about the issues, trends and opportunities, as you speak up for the arts and culture in your community. You're doing this so that decision- and policy-makers understand the power of the arts to transform communities!

Advocacy Actions

Here are five things YOU CAN AND SHOULD DO right now to educate elected officials about the importance of the arts in your community:

1. Keep learning as much as possible about your local, state and federal elected officials, through your local media, the State Legislative website The Wheeler Report, and WisPolitics.com.

2. Make sure your legislators are on your email and snail mail lists.

3 . If you don't already know your legislators, write letters of introduction. If you already know your legislators, keep This is particularly important for officials new to their offices. Make sure to mention the economic, educational and civic importance of the arts to the legislators’ districts, and to remind the legislators that you are a resource for arts information for htem. Click here for contact information for the Senate and Assembly.

4 Meet with your legislators when they are home in the district; schedule an information meeting and/or invite them to tour your facility or to participate in a program to learn more about your work and your organization.

5. Write a letter to the editor or op-ed piece about the impact of the arts in your community, using the talking points provided by Arts Wisconsin to add to your local information. Our national partner, Americans for the Arts, provides a "customizable" Letter to the Editor to send to your local media.

Click here for lots more action strategies!

Toolkit resources
•2008 Legislative Arts Agenda
• Grow Wisconsin Creatively – why Wisconsin should care about and invest in its arts and cultural resources
• Talking points: making the case for the arts
• State of the Arts in Wisconsin
• Arts and Economic Prosperity III - the economic impact of Wisconsin's nonprofit arts industry (2007)
• Wisconsin’s "Creative Industries" -- arts-related businesses and jobs in Wisconsin, by Congressional and all 132 legislative districts
• FY 2008 Legislative Appropriations for the Arts (from National Assembly of State Arts Agencies)
• Opportunities and challenges for the arts in Wisconsin
• Responses to the 2006 Legislative Candidate Survey on the Arts in Wisconsin

• Advocacy Basics
• Dos and Don’ts of Advocacy
• Political Dos and Don’ts for Non-Profit Organizations
• RECENTLY UPDATED! 2007 Advocacy Calendar for Arts Advocates

• Information on elected officials, elections and politics: