The Value of Your Virginians for the Arts Membership
Virginians for the Arts (VFTA) advocates on behalf of arts organizations in Virginia for funding for the Virginia Commission for the Arts, to ensure our arts organizations experience a strong, sustainable financial future. Virginians for the Arts continues to move the arts agenda forward before the general public and Virginia legislators.
Feedback from legislators following advocacy efforts of the 2010 Legislative Session implies that our efforts are working. The News & Advance, Lynchburg, reported (Mar. 24, 2010) about Del. Scott Garrett’s (R-Lynchburg) account to his local chamber of commerce at the end of the legislative session:
“ public reaction to a proposed cut in state funding for arts agencies led him to believe arts should be regarded as an economic development tool and not just a quality-of-life issue. ‘I had 1,983 emails about the arts after the House of Delegates proposed to cut state support entirely by 2012.’ In the final budget, most of the funding was restored. ‘What I heard, loud and clear, from our business partners is that arts are what brings businesses into our community,’ Garrett said. ‘I absolutely agree with that.’”
Our efforts this past year included:
¨ Reducing threat of elimination of the Virginia Commission for the Arts (proposed by the VA House of Delegates) to a 16% cut. VFTA organized a protest, bringing nearly 300 advocates to the state capitol the day the VA House of Delegates finalized its budget. Efforts during the legislative session resulted in TV news coverage and more than 60 editorials and news articles drawing attention to proposed cuts to the arts.
¨ Initiating new Arts Build Communities awards, inviting legislators and the public to nominate arts organizations that make significant contributions to Virginia: the awards recognized the work of 24 arts organizations and resulted in nearly 50 news stories about the arts throughout the state.
¨ Developing stories about more than 70 Virginia arts organizations, through its Arts Build Communities campaign. VFTA shares these stories about the arts’ impact on schools, the economy, and their communities with the public, the media, and Virginia legislators.
¨ Engaging social media to build grassroots advocacy--VFTA launched a YouTube Channel (its YouTube videos about Virginia arts organizations were shown at the General Assembly on Arts Advocacy Day) and a Facebook fan page, now hosting more than 1,550 fans.
¨ Developing the Virginia Arts Build Communities Google Map, sharing VCA-funded arts and cultural destinations around the state with the public, including organization descriptions, addresses and websites.
¨ Supporting and acting as Fiscal Sponsor to the MINDS WIDE OPEN: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts program, a statewide initiative to gather arts organizations around a common theme.
Each year VFTA…
¨ Ensures that effective advocacy meetings take place each year with all key members of the Virginia legislature. It conducts a survey of candidates running for office for every general election. It also works to develop Governors Arts Awards with the Office of the Governor and the VA Commission for the Arts.
¨ Shares research, news, advocacy tools and talking points, and links to other advocates, jobs, resources and arts organization sites, through its website: Vaforarts.org. Advocates also receive monthly e-news, advocacy action alerts, and twice-yearly newsletters.
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