Volume #2, Issue #13 | Monday, June 28, 2021
Support Wisconsin's artistry and creativity by supporting Arts Wisconsin
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June 28, 2021
Dear ,
Like many non-profit organizations, Arts Wisconsin's fiscal year runs July 1-June 30. As we look to the coming year, we ask for your support. Help us grow Wisconsin creatively as we emerge from the pandemic into a new world.
As Wisconsin's community cultural development organization since 1992, Arts Wisconsin has led the way with advocacy and policy leadership, technical assistance and education, and development services to celebrate and activate Wisconsin's creative people, organizations, businesses and places. During the past fifteen months, we've been focused and pro-active to help the creative sector move through the pandemic and not just survive, but thrive. We're working hard for a world that is more inclusive, collaborative and of course, creative.
We're excited about speaking up and serving Wisconsin's people, businesses and communities in the year ahead. Watch for our plans to transform the organization as we build on past accomplishments and expand our future promise. There's so much interesting, important, and creative work to be done, and we're ready to do it.
Your involvement makes it all possible! If you are already a supporter, thanks so much for that. If not, you can support Arts Wisconsin in these ways:
Creativity is the 21st century resource to help Wisconsin grow and strengthen the economy and community. Help Arts Wisconsin do this critical advocacy, service and development work on your behalf, and on behalf of everyone, everywhere in the state.
Thanks for all you do. Get in touch anytime with questions, comments, and ideas. We appreciate your community spirit and your generous support!
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Anne Katz, Director
608 255 8316
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“Whether it’s an urban or a rural destination, these investments will help make sure that local venues and businesses come out of this pandemic ready to welcome folks from communities around Wisconsin and across the country. Wisconsin is the best place to live, play, and work, and investing in businesses that promote culture and entertainment in our communities will pay dividends for Wisconsinites and communities across our state.” ~ Gov. Tony Evers, announcing last week's $140 million ARP funds investment in tourism and entertainment
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Advocacy and action for the arts, culture and creativity |
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Advocacy for creative sector investment through the American Rescue Plan
Have you sent your message yet? Do it now:
Last week, the Evers Administration announced more than $140 million in ARP fund grants to businesses and organizations that play an integral role in Wisconsin’s tourism and entertainment industries, such as live venues, movie theaters, and historic sites. This support is greatly appreciated.
But there's still more to be done, since the creative sector is multi-faceted. Nonprofit and for-profit businesses, from museums to art centers to arts education programs face losses from the pandemic are ongoing, and financial losses to the nonprofit component of the sector, including theaters, museums, and galleries, are currently an estimated $58 million in Wisconsin and $15.2 billion nationally, according to Americans for the Arts. Over 95% of arts businesses cancelled events since the onset of the pandemic, with a slow road to fully re-opening. Thousands of Wisconsin independent “gig” workers and entrepreneurs lost their means of earning a living when the world shut down last year, and are re-entering a changed environment this year.
Despite these setbacks, this 21st century industry remains a powerful economic and civic driver of a resilient Wisconsin recovery. That's why we must ask Gov. Evers to continue to invest in creativity, innovation, imagination, and entrepreneurship, through the Grow Wisconsin Creatively Resilience Fund. This is a historic opportunity to invest in Wisconsin's creative people, organizations, businesses and communities.
ARP advocacy with local officials for the arts, culture, and creativity
In addition to the needed investment by the State of Wisconsin, there's a chance to get funding on the local level, too. Municipal, county, and Tribal governments are receiving ARP funds right now, as special payments that can be used for limited purposes, including this provision that can be applied to creative sector organizations, programs and projects:
responding to the coronavirus pandemic or its negative economic impacts,
including assistance to hospitals, small businesses, and nonprofits,
or aid to impacted industries such as tourism, travel, and hospitality.
This isn't a grant program - it's an opportunity to make your case to your municipal leadership that there will be no economic recovery without investing in the arts and culture sector. You have to build your case, and we can help you do that!
You can find more information about how to request ARP funding on our website, including a sample letter to share with your local arts and municipal leaders to spark the conversation around ensuring that the arts and culture sector receives funding as part of the American Rescue Plan.
Additional resources:
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Sessions, conferences, workshops, grant opportunities, and more |
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Lots of opportunities out there for individual artists, for-profit and non-profit businesses, local government, and everyone who cares about Wisconsin's future. Click here for more info.
Featured opportunity:
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Wisconsin Humanities Recovery Grants are now available to help our state prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the pandemic. Funding for these grants is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. First deadline: July 19, 2021 - decisions will be announced August 13, 2021 - funded projects may start as early as August 16, 2021 - second deadline: October 15, 2021. An informational session about WH Recovery Grants and other funding opportunities will be held via Zoom on July 8 at 3 pm CT. A total of $766,120 will be awarded and no matching funds are required! Click here for all the info.
Featured learning event:
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Webinar: Advocacy for local ARP funds to the arts, culture, and creativity, Wednesday, July 14, 10-11 am. Register today and you'll receive Zoom info before the webinar date. Join Arts Wisconsin and community leaders for a webinar on advocating for ARP funds at the local level for arts and culture. Your local officials are making decisions about how that money should be spent to support and boost the local economy. While the process for making those decisions will vary from location to location, the tips for advocacy remain the same. Find out how you can work on getting support for creative workers and businesses in your community. Panelists:
- Kim Brooks, artist and advocate, Downtown Marinette
- Jerry Deschane, Director, League of Wisconsin Municipalities
- Mark Fraire, Director, Dane Arts, Madison
- David Lee, Director, Imagine MKE, Milwaukee
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What we're reading and watching |
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Thanks to our generous sponsors and supporters! |
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And:
- RDK Foundation
- Herbert J. Kohl Charities
- Special thanks to Scott Gelzer for support of the Art$upport Fund.
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We're always looking for photos |
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Arts Wisconsin is seeking photos of arts, cultural, and creative events, people, facilities and places, around the state, for web and social media use. We need high-quality (as high-res as possible), vibrant, compelling photos to illuminate our advocacy, service, and promotion of the arts, culture, and creativity throughout the state.
Please send us up to five of those photos, to info@artswisconsin.org. Include brief info about each photo and photo credit if you have it, and name each image file with a short description of the photo and any required photographer credits. Your sending us photos means that you are giving us permission to use them on the web and in social media. We will acknowledge photo credit when possible. We can't guarantee we will use all photos we receive, but we always do our best to tell as many of your stories as possible.
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