The Arts and Democracy gang’s visit to the offices of The National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities sparked a new level of interest in surrounding support for the arts on a national level in the DemArtsDC class. This was our first real encounter with a government agency who directly felt the changes of each administration, and whose mission was always relative to the beliefs of whoever held power. These revelations primed our visit to the DC office of Americans for the Arts and armed us with a plethora of questions. 
Americans for the Arts was an intriguing organization to research. They are a 501c3 Non-Profit organization, that boasts over, “a record of more than 50 years of service”. This fact confused me greatly, as Americans for the Arts simultaneously explained that they were founded in 1996. Now I may not be the greatest mathematician, or even a good one, but I really failed to see how over “50 years of service” could fit in 24 years of existence. Eventually, I found that the organization now known as Americans for the Arts was born out of two arts outreach organizations coming together, and one of those organizations was founded in 1960, hence the 50+ years of experience. While there is a rich and deep history of Americans for the Arts’ founding and development, above all else it is important to recognize that the organization was made of grassroots organizations that gained influence and reach over time. This background gave Americans for the Arts the foundation for their work now. Americans for the Arts works “to build recognition and support for the extraordinary and dynamic value of the arts and to lead, serve, and advance the diverse networks of organizations and individuals who cultivate the arts in America.” They do this in four different ways: advocate, research, connect, and lead.
Americans for the Arts advocates by lobbying Congress and state governments. This goes hand in hand with their mission to connect, as their network spreads throughout the country to state and local arts advocacy groups, allowing them a wide reach. Their research is relatively self explanatory, and anybody advocating for the arts has likely used one of their seemingly limitless amount of studies to educate and demonstrate the impact of the arts. I was most intrigued by their mission to lead, which to me is the quality they best demonstrated by their presentation. We met with Randy Cohen, the Vice President of research, and Lauren Cohen (unrelated), the Government Affairs and Grassroots Manager, and I was instantly struck by their energy. Mr. Cohen had a background in theater, which became very evident as he described the work and mission of Americans for the Arts. I would be lying if I said the energy wasn’t a little much at first, but then it quickly became infectious. All of us after the meeting agreed that our meeting with Americans for the Arts was one of the best of the trip.
It was after the meeting that I realized how Americans for the Arts really executes its mission to lead. The energy and passion that Americans for the Arts brings to the work makes all of us arts advocates. The arts are inherently political and extremely powerful, and AFTA not only understands that but uses that. The biggest ally to AFTA isn’t just staff or artists, it is the everyday person. Randy and Lauren both emphasized the importance of contacting lawmakers at every level several times throughout the talk. In one particularly interesting portion of the presentation, Randy asked who we thought did better for the arts, former president Obama or his predecessor, former president Bush. Most of us answered Obama, to which Randy corrected us. We so often think of arts as a partisan topic, as well as political. Randy talked about how Mike Huckabee, a staunch republican, was one of the biggest advocates for arts education and arts culture, and how people from both sides of the political divide contact and work with him to further arts advocacy on the hill.
AFTA’s work is often recognized for connecting and researching, but the way they best serve their mission statement is by dreaming big, thinking outside the box, and inspiring people to do the same where ever they are.
“About Americans for the Arts.” Americans for the Arts, 15 May 2019, www.americansforthearts.org/about-americans-for-the-arts.
Wikipedia contributors. “Americans for the Arts.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 18 Oct. 2018.