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COVID-19 & Local Arts Education Advocacy Webinar 5/27

Presented by the California Alliance for Arts Education & Arts for LA, this free online training will provide advocates with the concrete tools necessary to ensure local decision makers harness the full power of arts education in responding to the COVID-19 crisis.

The session will cover strategies for engaging local school board members, responding to proposed budget cuts, and best practices for amplifying student voices.

Details:
May 27, 10:30am
More info here

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April is Arts, Culture & Creativity Month in CA! How can you participate?

Californians for the Arts celebrates Arts, Culture & Creativity month (ACCM) with all of California this April, and they’re calling on us as arts educators to get involved!

You can get involved by:

  • joining them for the ACCM Convening April 14 in Sacramento – The fragility of the arts sector, business models and systems has been revealed by recent California Supreme Court decisions such as Dynamex and AB5 legislation. The ACCM convening will provide a cross-sector opportunity to discuss, analyze and share ideas. We will focus on how to strengthen the arts, culture and creative industries including arts education as we adapt and address environmental changes. All conversations will happen through the lens of funding, best practices, organizational sustainability and careers in the arts. The convening will examine what methods of advocacy and lobbying are needed with tracks for both beginning advocates and more advanced policy wonks as well as professional development for artists and arts leaders. We will together learn how the field can implement successful strategies and policies so we can all successfully shift old practices and thrive.
  • participating in Arts Advocacy Day April 15 in Sacramento – Join hundreds of delegates in a morning rally with performers and speakers and then meet with your elected official in the Capitol to share why the arts matter to you. You will be assigned a Captain from your region who will set up the meetings. Advocacy day is free to participate.
  • exploring the Ways to Engage page with actions that can happen throughout April & beyond
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Where does your school or district stand on the arts?

March is Arts Education Month and from now until the end of March our friends at Create CA are sharing small weekly actions we can all take to support the movement for arts education. Here’s this week’s action:

Look up your data and see where your district or school stands!

The California Arts Education Data Project has been updated with new branding, tools, and data!  

The new data shows that California went from a 39% average participation rate to 40%. That means more students are taking at least one arts class. Which is great! But progress is still way too slow.

It is our belief that in order to expand access to arts education in our schools and communities we absolutely have to know where we stand. So please check out the Interactive Dashboard and learn about the growth and gaps in arts education equity across the state!

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Learn to be an Arts Advocate at the National Arts Action Summit

The National Arts Action Summit is a multi-day event, March 30-31, 2020 in Washington, D.C., giving you the opportunity to receive crucial advocacy training from experts in the field and then put that training into practice on Arts Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. Hosted by Americans for the Arts in partnership with over 85 national arts organizations, Arts Advocacy Day is the largest gathering of its kind, bringing together a broad cross section of America’s cultural and civic organizations. Grassroots advocates from across the country come to Washington, DC to meet with their Members of Congress to garner support for issues like arts education policy, the charitable tax deduction, and funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Why should I attend the National Arts Action Summit?

  1. Networking with your fellow arts advocates from across the country and go on congressional visits led by State Captains.
  2. Learning the latest research facts and figures on the arts to help make your case.
  3. Strategizing with experienced advocates during an interactive role play session on how to make the case for the arts and arts education to your Members of Congress.

More info & registration.

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Calling for your input! What do you think about the new Arts Framework?

An update from the CA Department of Education:

The draft Arts Framework is available for a second round of public review and comment. Please visit the Arts Framework web page to access the revised chapters. Please note that for the second round of public comment, we ask that you submit comments via email to Vapa@cde.ca.gov.

Comments may be submitted in any format. However, it is highly recommended that comments include the chapter, page, and line number(s) of the text as it is currently written in the draft, and the exact language of the suggested change. The deadline to submit public comment for the second public review is March 30, 2020.

Curious about the timeline for reviewing and adopting these documents? See here.

Take Action

How is AB 5 affecting you?

Are you a teaching artist, studio owner, company director, or arts leader affected by AB 5? Tell your story! Legislators need to better understand the impacts of this far-reaching bill on our field.

A follow-up bill AB 1850 is being drafted now to address the ambiguities and unintended consequences of AB 5. Sacramento needs to hear from the dance sector to consider our perspectives!

What you can do: Email or write your state Assembly Member and Senator to share your story about how AB 5 is affecting you.

See here or here to find and contact your state representative and assembly member.