Advocacy 2011
ADVOCACY 2011March 2011 brought a focused, clear and succinct message to elected state representatives. On March 2, almost two dozen advocates met privately with the majority of Senate and Assembly members (prior to the 31st Annual Governor’s Arts Awards that night and OASIS Conference on March 3). Advocates met with largely positive responses, with several legislators mentioning the impact of the arts on family members both young and old. Advocates were told in some instances that the proposed 10% cut would not help balance the budget. Still other lawmakers indicated support of the Governor’s budget and the necessary imposition of cuts.
Those visits were a prelude to the March 10 meeting of the Joint Senate/Assembly Budget Subcommittee. Members heard budget details during a presentation by the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), current home of the Arts Council. Discussion focused on the proposed dissolution of DCA and transfer of NAC to the Department of Tourism.
Subcommittee Chair and Senator Mo Denis (D-Las Vegas) moved the proceedings along so the Subcommittee could hear the plentiful public testimony. Arts advocates were prepared to offer short statements about the value of the Arts Council and its impact on the state’s economy, education, quality of life and cultural traditions.
Susan Boskoff, NAC Executive Director, presented the FY2012-13 budget figures and described how a 10% cut may affect the agency. She also unveiled the FY2010 Grants & Services Report which lists grant awards and programs/services provided by the NAC by county, city and organization – and speaks to the remarkable value of a very modest investment of public dollars in Nevada’s cultural industry. For a printed copy, please call 775-687-6680.
Strong support for the NAC was voiced by legislators, and one Senator later described the arts advocates’ words and stories as “the most emotional testimony” he’d heard during the entire legislative session. He strongly urged everyone to maintain just that level of passion and concern, whether in future testimony or emails and letters to legislators.
Those testifying included David LaPlante, a Reno business owner and entrepreneur; Clark Demeritt, Music Director of Reno’s Holland Project youth organization; Nettie Oliverio, Chair of the Reno Arts and Culture Commission; Martha O’Neill, Washoe County School District; Shaun Griffin, poet and director of Community Chest in Virginia City, Jill Berryman, Executive Director of Sierra Arts and ED of the Nevada Alliance for Arts Education; and Emily Orellana, a senior at Rainshadow Community Charter High School and the Nevada Poetry Out Loud champion (2009-2011). Click here to read selected prepared testimony .
During his testimony, NAC Board chair Tim Jones reinforced Boskoff’s comments, and asked the Subcommittee members to read the Board’s official 2011 Advocacy Platform. He respectfully reminded the members that a 10% cut would not allow the agency to remain static or maintain current services, but would instead result in:
Further reductions in grant dollars to small and large grantees—preventing them from carrying out their missions and leveraging other funding.
Possible elimination of long-standing grant categories that support Nevada’s major cultural institutions (i.e., economic engines in their communities).
Possible elimination of outreach programs that now serve the entire state, including rural Nevada.
Possible closure of the Las Vegas office.
WHAT CAN YOU DO? COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR LEGISLATORS
Familiarize yourself with Nevada’s legislators and the legislative process here . Remember that there are many new faces in Carson City this session. You may follow these links to the Nevada State Senate and the Nevada State Assembly .
Ask Nevada lawmakers to protect the state’s investment in the creative industry —to provide stable, not steadily decreasing funding, for the NAC at FY2010 levels.
Always be polite and brief. Identify yourself and/or your organization. Always thank your elected officials for their commitment to making Nevada a state worthy of calling home.
If you are or have received a grant or services from NAC:
• Develop a 30 - 60 second statement—your ‘elevator-speech’addressing the value of NAC funding or service or program to your organization and community. Do youth or seniors benefit from your programs? Do you stimulate the local economy as a small business or entrepreneurial artist? Include these in your remarks.
• Schedule meetings or talk to your legislators when they are home for the weekend—see contact information in section above.
• Write a one-page letter to your Senator and Assemblyman/women with the same information as your elevator-speech. For now, please send these by snail mail or fax to their Carson City offices. More information on emails will be forthcoming. Gather similar letters from your board members, patrons and business supporters and send those in. If possible, please email a copy of these letters to ARTS4NEVADA.
• Be prepared to attend legislative committee hearings that discuss the NAC or other issues pertinent to the arts and arts education, or send someone from your organization on your behalf. Most will be viewable on line and teleconferenced in Las Vegas. While these committees are in session, it’s a great time to call your legislator’s office in Carson City to voice your support.
If you are not an NAC grantee, but understand the fundamental value of the arts:
Please follow the recommendations above and address the importance of arts and culture in your community and quality of life, education, or why your business or foundation supports the arts and a public/private funding for the arts.
Thank you for your continued work on behalf of Nevada’s arts and creative industries!
During the 2011 Session, the Nevada Legislature will make critical decisions about the future of our state. Senators and Assemblymen/women, Democrats and Republicans alike are requesting public input about valued state programs and services. Advocates for education, health and human services, green energy, economic development, and other issues have been hard at work since last year’s Special Session to educate and inform both new and experienced legislators about the necessity for continued and increased funding.
Artists, representatives of arts organizations, teachers, parents, students, business owners, and patrons—everyone who is affected by Nevada’s arts and culture industry—must be ready to engage in advocacy throughout the 2011 Session. Legislative leaders have emphasized, both in meetings and the press, the importance of hearing from the public. Your comments will affect their decisions.
Once again, Nevada Arts Council (NAC) is targeted for cuts. The Governor’s Budget recommends the dissolution of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and placing its four divisions within other state departments. The NAC is poised to move to the Commission on Tourism, along with the Division of Museums and History. Following a severe 43% cut in 2009, Governor Sandoval’s budget seeks another 10% cut to the NAC in the next biennium. It should be noted that Governor Sandoval and the First Family are supportive of the intrinsic, educational and economic value of the arts and culture industry, and sponsored the first Inaugural Arts and Culture Celebration as one of the 2011 Inaugural events. However, it is up to those who believe in the power of the arts, public funding to provide access to arts and arts education to all Nevadans and a healthy state arts agency, to voice concerns about yet another reduction to the NAC after last session’s unexpected 43% cut.
WHAT WILL MORE CUTS TO THE NEVADA ARTS COUNCIL MEAN?
How will Nevada attract new businesses and tourists, and develop an internal workforce able to complete nationally and globally without a dynamic and supported creative industry? It’s just not possible.
An additional 10% cut (53% over 4 years) will further restrict and greatly limit the efforts of arts and cultural organizations in communities across Nevada to sustain local vitality, economies, and pre K-12 and lifelong learning opportunities - fundamental services for our residents, and to change the perception of Nevada for those living beyond our borders. The Nevada Arts Council will, out of necessity, impose additional reductions in its grants, programs and services.
- The results of another 10% cut will significantly, and negatively, affect long-standing grants and programs that now serve the entire state, included services to rural Nevada. Additional grant categories may be eliminated to preserve minimal effectiveness in other categories. And still, small and large grantees alike will realize much smaller grant amounts with which to carry out missions and leverage other funding.
- Why? The cumulative effect of years of budget reductions to the NAC has created a spiral effect that continues to severely decrease state funding to one of the smallest of state agencies—yet one with true statewide impact with streamlined efficiency and effectiveness.
- Continued cuts to education require a stronger, not weaker, NAC and its grantees are providing front line arts education in our state.
- Continued cuts to NAC funding result in considerably less robust communities and local economies—the wellspring of the creative workforce that attracts new businesses to Nevada.
WHAT CAN YOU DO? COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR LEGISLATORS
Familiarize yourself with Nevada’s legislators and the legislative process here . Remember that there are many new faces in Carson City this session. You may follow these links to the Nevada State Senate and the Nevada State Assembly .
Ask Nevada lawmakers to protect the state’s investment in the creative industry - to provide stable, not steadily decreasing funding, for the NAC at FY2010 levels.
Always be polite and brief. Identify yourself and/or your organization. And always thank your elected officials for their commitment to making Nevada a state worthy of calling home.
If you are or have received a grant or services from NAC:
- Develop a 30 - 60 second statement - your ‘elevator-speech’ - addressing the value of NAC funding or service or program to your organization and community. Do youth or seniors benefit from your programs? Do you stimulate the local economy as a small business or entrepreneurial artist? Include these in your remarks.
- For now, either schedule meetings or talk to your legislators when they are home for the weekend - see contact information in section above.
- Write a one-page letter to your Senator and Assemblyman/women with the same information as your elevator-speech. For now, please send these by snail mail or fax to their Carson City offices. More information on emails will be forthcoming. Gather similar letters from your board members, patrons and business supporters and send those in. If possible, please email a copy of these letters to ARTS4NEVADA .
- Be prepared to attend legislative committee hearings that discuss the NAC or other issues pertinent to the arts and arts education, or send someone from your organization on your behalf. Most will be viewable on line and teleconferenced in Las Vegas. While these committees are in session, it’s a great time to call your legislator’s office in Carson City to voice your support.
If you are not an NAC grantee, but understand the fundamental value of the arts:
- Please follow the recommendations above and address the importance of arts and culture in your community and quality of life, education, or why your business or foundation supports the arts and a public/private funding for the arts.
STATEWIDE ARTS CONVENINGS - A MUST TO STAY INFORMED AND CONNECTED
Now, more than ever, it’s crucial to connect, network and speak as a united creative industry. Please note that our elected officials, patrons, donors and citizens are united in this directive.
Mark your calendars for March 2-3: the 31st Annual Governor’s Arts Awards in Carson City , and the 2011 OASIS Statewide Arts Conference. Development Grants of up to $350 are available at http://nevada.cgweb.org/ for those traveling more than 100 miles.
Questions? Contact the NAC at 775.68.76690, 702.486.3738 or nac.nevadaculture.org.
WHAT ARE YOUR COLLEAGUES SAYING?
A4N’s advocacy archive offers numerous examples of testimony by Nevadans who care deeply about the stability of public funding for arts and culture. Click here to read a few example testimonies from the January 29, 2011 Town Hall Meetings held in Las Vegas and Reno from the following:
- Stephen Caplan, NAC Board Member and musician
- Nancy Podewils, Reno Little Theatre and Sierra Watercolor Society
- Nettie Oliverio, Reno Commission on Arts and Culture
- Tim Jones, Chair, NAC Board
- David Bugli, Music Conductor, Carson City Symphony
Additional testimony will be available in coming weeks.
ACTION ALERTS
Be prepared for Action Alerts to advocate on both the state and national levels for arts and culture funding.
The Republican Study Committee’s Spending Reduction Act of 2011 seeks to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as part of a sweeping proposal to reduce federal outlays by $2.5-trillion in the next decade. The committee includes 165 Republican members of Congress. Its ranks were swelled this year by the election of dozens of Tea Party-backed candidates who are pressing party leaders to push for deeper spending cuts; this, according to an article in The Washington Post. The endowments, which make grants to arts and culture groups nationwide, have annual budgets of $167.5 million each. The broadcasting agency receives $44-million. Click here for more information.
On Thursday, May 12, the Joint Meeting of the Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees approved Governor Sandoval’s recommendation’s to dissolve the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), merge its agencies with other state departments, and reduce the Nevada Arts Council (NAC) budget 10% for each of the next two years.
In reducing NAC state funding to $952,478 a year, the Joint Committee eliminated two positions and further reduced dollars for grants and programs. This action followed an unexpected cut of 43% last session, which required suspension of long-standing and valued programs, grants and services. The Legislative action will necessitate substantial agency reorganization and a profound decrease in grants and services, which the NAC Board will consider and implement at its June Board Meeting.
NAC Budget Cuts
Discussion about the NAC budget was minimal, with several members speaking to the value of the arts. Most motions were passed unanimously. In discussing the reduction of funding for NAC grants, Sen. Ben Kieckhefer (R-Washoe) was the lone voice in attempting to restore some funding. His motion failed.
The NAC Board will continue to pursue all avenues to restore funding to the Arts Council prior to the end of this session. However, the Board must address the ramifications of this 10% cut, which was described to legislators as the “tipping point” for this agency.
Suspended after last session’s 43% cut were Challenge, Design Arts, Local Sustainability and Artist in Residence Grants. Funding for Artist Fellowships and other grant categories were reduced significantly. NEON, a nationally respected arts journal, and other publications were eliminated, as was staff travel to rural and isolated communities to provide workshops, site visits and community action planning.
Dismantling the Department
The NAC, along with the Division of Museums and History, will formally merge with the re-named Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs on October 1. The NAC Carson City office will remain in its current location. Almost half of NAC general funds will be replaced with room tax collected by Tourism. The Office of Historic Preservation returns to the Department of Natural Resources, and State Library and Archives merges with the Department of Administration. Six DCA positions will be eliminated and two will transfer to Tourism. Funding to open the new Springs Preserve Museum part-time with the hiring of six new positions was approved, as well as funding to keep the other seven state museums open part-time. These additional funds, again, will come from room taxes. The Commission on Cultural Affairs, with its funds tied to the sales of state bonds, has frozen its activities. Read more in the Spring Issue of Nevada Arts News. The statewide nonprofit Nevada Humanities, slated for a sizeable reduction, received an ‘add-back’ of $30,000 per year. The Humanities’ pass through funding was originally slated to be overseen by the NAC, however the Committee voted against that recommendation. Other actions relating to DCA divisions were enacted during the three and half hour meeting.
FY12 Grant Panels
NAC moves forward with the review of FY12 annual grant applications—nearly 250 of them. NAC believes it is crucial for elected officials to be mindful of Nevada’s breadth of arts and cultural programs. The arts are part of the recovery for Nevada and the nation, and NAC will insure that the work of the arts industry does not go unnoticed.
NAC Cuts To Be Deliberated By Board
After the NAC grant panels are completed in May, the NAC Board will review a number of options to accommodate these cuts for the next two years. Without a restoration of state funding to the NAC, the Board must approve a sobering decrease and/or suspension of certain grants, programs and services, such as:
- Additional cuts to all recipients of NAC grant funds
- Suspension of Partners-in-Excellence, Tier 5 Level grants
- Suspension of grants to municipalities and government agencies, including cities, counties and institutions of higher education.
- Suspension of grants for applicants that receive other state funding or line items in support of programming.
- Suspension of NAC services and programs to rural and isolated communities (such as Poetry Out Loud, Traveling Exhibition Program, Community Action Planning, Grantee Site Visits, and local Workshops), which require travel funds or extensive commitment of staff time.
- Closure of the NAC Las Vegas office.
- Other cost-saving actions as necessary.
The NAC Board is expected to meet in mid-June; the location and time will be posted on the NAC website . As always, this meeting will be open to the public.
Next Advocacy Steps
To restore critical and fundamental services of the state, including those provided by NAC, education and health/human services, the Legislature must succeed in passing a revenue package.
If these issues are important to you, your family or your organization, you are encouraged to contact the members of the Joint Committees and to your specific senator and assemblyman/woman. It is as critical to let them know your support of a revenue package as it is to request restoration of NAC cuts during the last weeks of the session.
Be concise, clear, and respectful, and always end your correspondence with an acknowledgement of the legislature’s hard work on behalf of the state.
ADVOCACY RESULTS IN NAC BUDGET INCREASE
June 3, 2011
Thanks to Assemblywoman Debbie Smith (D-Washoe), the Nevada Arts Council will receive an 'add-back' of $25,000 for its Grants Program for each of the next two years. This one-shot reduces the agency's budget cut to $250,000 for the biennium.
The Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees convened at 6:00 p.m. on June 1 to reconsider four department budgets. As the session came to a close, Assemblywoman Smith requested that consideration be given to restore a portion of the Arts Council's grant dollars.
Assemblywoman Smith made special mention of the NAC grants, recognizing that they are leveraged in communities all across Nevada. She further stated, "We always hear from those people, and I'd like to be able to restore a small amount of money for them to leverage."
Senator Ben Kieckhefer (R-Washoe) agreed, saying "This is money well spent and I am happy to support it."
“The NAC Board is grateful for Assemblywoman Smith’s leadership and action,” said Tim Jones, NAC Board chair. “These dollars will indeed be leveraged throughout the state by large and small grantees alike.
Jones added, “Once again we see the effectiveness of a consistent and sustainable arts advocacy message in Nevada.”
The NAC absorbed a 43% reduction in state funding in 2009, which required suspension of long-standing and valued programs, grants and services. During a May 12 meeting between Ways and Means and Senate Finance, an additional 10% cut was imposed upon the Council.
The NAC Board will continue its consideration of a substantial agency reorganization and certain decreases in grants and services during its June 14th Board Meeting in Reno.
Jones said, “The goal of a $300,000 restoration (thus reversing the full10% cut) remains in effect. Other avenues for additional funds will be pursued during the upcoming biennium and leading into the 2013 Legislature.”
