Advocacy Resources on the Internet

BEING AN ADVOCATE

Alliance for Artists' Communities Blueprint for Action (.pdf file, 1.1 MB)
The "Blueprint for Action" is a document designed to encourage opinion-leaders and decision-makers to "restore creativity as a priority in American public policy, philanthropy and education." Use this document to help craft your own blueprint for action.

"The Museum vs. The Mayor:
A Constitutional Analysis of the Brooklyn Museum of Art Case"
(.pdf file, 3.1 MB)
Read this article, produced by Americans for the Arts, to find out why a government official cannot pull funding from an arts organization because he or she disagrees with content of that organization's work.

The Cultural Bill of Rights (.pdf file, 707 KB)
Bill Iven, then chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, put forward this Cultural Bill of Rights outlining the need to capture a greater role for cultural activity and heritage in the United States.

ADVOCACY CONNECTIONS

Artswire
Excellent site sponsored by the New York Arts Foundation with much useful information. Dedicated to the cultivation of an on-line arts community.

The Argonaut
A useful database site with links to many other arts sites. Has four basic list categories: The Arts, Arts Education, Business & the Arts, and Resources and References. A Canadian site, with most information about Canada, but much about the United States and occasional references to other international sites as well.

ARTSEDGE
The Kennedy Center and the NEA collaborate on this site which provides links to help artists, teachers, and students connect and share information. Not a lot of advocacy related stuff, but may be useful for those seeking general information about arts events.

ArtsEdNet
An extensive site from the Getty Education Institute for the Arts which includes pages for "Winning Support for Arts Education." Site includes a search engine for advocacy or more specific issues. Useful gateway to other advocacy sites.

Arts Education Partnership
The website from the Arts Education Partnership provides a state policy database and resources for state and national advocacy.

Arts on the Line
This is a very interesting site, produced and maintained by one individual (Richard Finkelstein, a scenic designer based in California) which provides much useful information about the arts, especially the status and atmosphere for government arts funding. Also includes useful list of links to other arts related sites.

GOVERNMENT AND GOVERNMENT WATCH

Americans for the Arts
An arts lobby with home offices in DC - this site has information mostly focused on National arts funding issues. The Advocacy page has three categories - Legislative Updates, How to Get Involved, and Links to other national sites which may or may not have important arts content (IE, the White House page, C-Span)

The National Endowment for the Arts
The official site for the NEA includes budget information, action plans for the Endowment, and information for those seeking or in receipt of Endowment grants.

Fundsnet
A philanthropy site which offers information for individuals looking to donate or apply for funds. It includes a site that lists and describes various government grants available to individuals or producing organizations.

The Federal Money Retriever
This site is a mechanism for searching for available government funds for all manner of activities. A few of these are arts related, and include brief descriptions of the kinds of grants available and who is eligible.

K-12 EDUCATION CONNECTIONS

American Alliance for Theatre and Education
An organization dedicated to the support of theatre education for "young people of all ages." The Advocacy site may be useful for its list of state representatives. The LINKS page might be useful for connections to other education-focused sites.

PTA Resource Libraries
A site advocating arts in education for K-12. Includes pages with tips for Keeping Arts in Your Children's School, Important Arts Resources, and Important Links.

Educational Theatre Association
www.etassoc.org
This is the home page for the International Thespian Society, an honorary organization for high school theatre enthusiasts. Includes a page called "Spotlight on Advocacy," although at the time I accessed it, no information was actually on that page.