Arts Day 2011 - Wednesday and Thursday, March 2 and 3, 2011
Madison Concourse Hotel and State Capitol, Madison
Why is advocacy so important?
Making the case for the arts and creativity
2011 Arts Legislative Agenda
Activists "to do" list on, during and after
Arts Day
Arts Day 2011 Schedule
Arts Day 2011 Partners and Sponsors
Arts Day 2011
FAQs
Arts Action
Toolkit
Arts Day 2011 press
State Legislators' Contact Information
More ways to connect with
your elected officials!
After Arts Day, you can still speak up for the arts!
Join our Legislative Action Center E-list!
Links to other websites on the arts, advocacy and the creative economy
What is Arts Day?
Each year on Arts Day, hundreds of representatives of Wisconsin’s
extraordinary arts community come together for one day to:
- Celebrate all that's happening in the arts across Wisconsin
- Connect with old and new friends
- Educate legislators about the importance of investing in the arts, to strengthen Wisconsin’s economy, educational system, and social infrastructure.
Each year, representatives of the arts from around Wisconsin -- small rural choirs and suburban community theaters, presenters and big organizations, museums and art centers of all sizes, painters, tenors, dancers, cellists, french horn players, arts administrators, board members and YOU --join together for this big day. Past participants have enthusiastically reported two things about Arts Day:
- First, they feel empowered by gathering together with like-minded people. Each year, hundreds of Wisconsin arts leaders participate in Arts Day.
- Second, they say that Arts Day is the best arts networking event of the year. This is one of the only times that Wisconsin’s diverse, multi-layered and fabulous arts industry gathers together in one place, to show what a strong, vital arts community we have in Wisconsin. Events like Arts Day, combined with advocacy at home, lead to greater understanding by decision-makers of the power of the arts to transform Wisconsin’s communities. Now, we’re looking for significant increases in state arts funding. The unified voice of the arts community is critical to this success.
This year, in the face of local, state and global current economic woes
and the upcoming campaigns for important political offices, the state's
elected leaders and decision-makers must hear from as many arts advocates
as possible about the public value of the arts for Wisconsin's future.
If there ever was a time that we needed the arts, it's now.
This is our moment, because creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship
- all qualities inherent to the arts - are the qualities needed to move
our economy, educational systems, and civic infrastructure forward.
Join us in person yourself, and bring as many colleagues, friends and
relatives to Madison as you can. Simply put: the greater our
numbers, the louder our voice. We especially urge you to
consider making the trip to Madison for Arts Day if there's going to be
a big Senate or Assembly legislative race in your area.
Decision-makers need to be educated about the importance of the arts to
everyone, everywhere in Wisconsin, every day of the year. It’s especially
important this year to be out in full force to come to Madison on Arts
Day to say, "please invest in the arts in your community
and across the state!"
It's a great day for the arts and for Wisconsin!
Advocacy is being able to speak to where your audience is listening
from.
~ Ben Cameron, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
The arts are essential to Wisconsin's cultural and spiritual quality of life, to our economic development, and to the education of our children-- arts and cultural opportunities should be a priority when public policy is made!
- Arts Advocacy is democracy in action.
- Arts Advocacy is all about relationships.
- Arts Advocacy is a discipline.
- Arts Advocacy requires teamwork.
- Arts Day and other activities throughout the year advance advocacy for the arts on the local, regional and statewide levels.
- Encourage expanded state investment in the arts, arts education and creative economy through the Wisconsin Arts Board’s New Economy Funding Initiative and investment in other state agencies
- Support arts and creative involvement and opportunities to provide 21st century education for all Wisconsin students, through the work of the Wisconsin Task Force on Arts and Creativity in Education
Read talking points here: Making the Case for Arts and Creativity.
Activists "to do" list on, during and after Arts Day
Arts Day 2011 Partners
Sponsoring Partners
- Arts @ Large, Milwaukee
- Arts Wisconsin
- Broadjam, Inc., Madison
- Wisconsin Art Education Association
- Wisconsin Counties Association
- Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC)
- Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets
- Wisconsin Presenters Network
- Wisconsin Screenwriters Forum
- Wisconsin Visual Artists
- Wisconsin Story Project
Donors
- Association of Wisconsin Symphony Orchestras
- PortalWisconsin.org
- Wisconsin Advocates for Music Education
- Wisconsin Alliance of Artists and Craftspeople
- Wisconsin Federation of Museums
- Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce
- Wisconsin Music Educators Association
- Wisconsin Regional Writers Association
- Wisconsin School Music Association
Endorsing Partners
- AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Artists) Wisconsin
- Leadership Wisconsin
- Theatre Wisconsin
- Tourism Federation of Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters
- Wisconsin Alliance for Arts Education
- Wisconsin Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus
- Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
- Wisconsin Association of School Boards
- Wisconsin Dance Council
- Wisconsin Downtown Action Council
- Wisconsin Economic Development Association
- Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Network
- Wisconsin Foundation for the Arts
- Wisconsin Main Street Program
- Wisconsin Nonprofits Association
- Wisconsin PTA
- Wisconsin Rural Partners
Special thanks!:
- Footlights.com for printing the program
- Scott Pauli and Drew Garza - Art and Sons for graphic design
- Wisconsin Story Project for story-telling assistance
- GESWERK for art-making project
- The Widget Source for event assistance
- Factivist for advocacy assistance
Meeting with Your Legislators
How to be an
effective advocate for the arts, arts education, creative economy, in
your community on Arts Day and every day.
Arts Day 2011 press
"Budget
cuts to arts adds new urgency to annual 'Arts Day' lobbying event"
Wisconsin State Journal, 3-4-2011
Walker's
proposed budget would reduce arts funding
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 3-2-2011
Arts
Beat: Walker’s budget slashes arts funding
Isthmus, Madison, 3-3-2011
La
Crosse arts groups say Walker budget could lead to fewer local programs
La Crosse Tribune, 3-3-2011
Creativity
Under Attack
Volume One, Eau Claire, 3-5-2011
Legislators'
Contact Infomation
Phone number, e-mail
and office location of all legislators, by district (find
your district here).
Information on hotels, dining and things to do in Madison.
Check out:
- Arts Day 2010 artist-in-residence Tim Decker's "Speak up for the ARTS!" grrrl!
- Arts Day 2009 video, courtesy of Wisconsin Eye
- Arts Day 2009 photos
updated 3-8-11