On March 16, 2017, the White House released a budget blueprint for Fiscal Year 2018. This proposal calls for reductions to a range of government programs, including the elimination of federal support for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
It is important to remember that the Legislative Branch ultimately decides how to allocate federal funds. This is not the final word; this is the beginning of a conversation. We encourage Arizonans to be active and enthusiastic participants in this dialogue.
As a state agency, the Arizona Commission on the Arts does not design or coordinate advocacy efforts. Part of the Arts Commission’s mandate, however, is to ensure that Arizonans are informed about the potential and impact of the arts in every Arizona city and town. We invite you to look to us as a resource for information and continue to engage us as a connector.
Should you be interested in advocacy efforts at the state and national level, we suggest you connect with our friends at Arizona Citizens for the Arts and Americans for the Arts.
Further, we invite you to embrace this moment as an opportunity: to express your passion for the arts, articulate the impact the arts have had on your life and in your community, and actively engage in this process by which our nation proclaims its values and vision.
In the meantime, we will be here, working to ensure that all Arizonans can participate in and experience the arts, as we have for the last 50 years.
As always, we honor and appreciate your passion, creativity, and partnership in support of the arts in Arizona.
Sincerely,
Robert C. Booker
Executive Director
Arizona Commission on the Arts
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