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2024 Webinars Archive
All 2024 webinars will be stored here with their video recordings, resources, and more. If you would like to hear more and register for future webinars, please join the Arts Action Fund.
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April 25, 2024
ADVOCACY 201 WEBINAR
Join us for Advocacy 201 on April 25th at 3:00 PM ET, the second in a series of webinars designed to help you take your advocacy for the arts to the next level. Americans for the Arts and the Arts Action Fund staff will provide training on the primary legislative topics for a new advocacy program that we will launch this year: National Arts Advocacy Zoom-In Week on May 13-17, 2024.
The focus of the Advocacy 201 training will be on how to collectively reach out to your Members of Congress to support FY25 funding for the NEA, NEH and arts education. We will also feature several of our state arts advocacy captains, who will share their best practices for timely virtual meetings with Members of Congress offices. We will also share the format of the National Arts Advocacy Zoom-In Week and how you can get involved with the guidance of a state arts advocacy captain representing your state.
Advocacy 201 is a preparation webinar to get you ready and excited to participate in our first-ever National Arts Advocacy Zoom-In Week, which will allow you to advocate from the comfort of your own home or office during the week of May 13th-17th. But first, you need to register for the Advocacy 201 webinar on April 25th at 3:00 PM ET.
If you missed Advocacy 101, you can watch the full video recording and access all of the resources on the Advocacy 101 landing page.
RESOURCES
ADVOCACY 201 PRESENTATION SLIDES
ARTS ACTION CENTER: SEND A MESSAGE & FIND YOUR LEGISLATORSNATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS ISSUE BRIEF
ARTS EDUCATION FUNDING ISSUE BRIEFHOUSE VOTES ON PERRY AMENDMENTS TO ELIMINATE NEA/NEH
HOUSE “DEAR COLLEAGUE” LETTER NEA FUNDING TO $211 MILLION
SENATE “DEAR COLLEAGUE” LETTER NEA FUNDING TO $211 MILLION
2024 WHY THE ARTS MATTER STATE ARTS FACTSHEETS
BEST PRACTICES FOR CONGRESSIONAL ZOOM MEETINGS
MEET OUR SPEAKERS
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Nina Ozlu Tunceli is both Chief Counsel of Government and Public Affairs at Americans for the Arts as well as the Executive Director of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund and Political Action Committee. For 30 years, Nina has served as the chief policy, advocacy, and political strategist for both organizations, representing the nation’s 4,500 local arts agencies and mobilizing more than 420,000+ arts activist members in advancing the arts in America.
After helping to secure several arts funding economic provisions in key COVID-Relief packages, including CARES Act, Economic Aid Act, and American Rescue Plan, Nina provided free daily then weekly Zoom Office Hours with Nina and special webinars since April 2020 and continues to do so today on a monthly basis. She has provided customized technical assistance to thousands of artists and arts organizations in successfully tapping billions of dollars in pandemic economic relief aid, including Shuttered Venue Operators Grants, Payroll Paycheck Protection forgivable loans, COVID EIDL and Targeted EIDL loans, Employee Retention Tax Credits, NEA funding, and more.
Nina also spearheads the ArtsVote: Make Your Vote Count campaign every federal election cycle, featuring artwork by Shepard Fairey as well as customized state voter factsheets and social media ads to educate voters on new state election rules and deadlines to effectively cast their vote. Everyone is encouraged to join the Arts Action Fund for free at www.ArtsActionFund.org/Join
Nina is a graduate of The George Washington University with a B.A. in French Literature, and of The University of Richmond School of Law with a J.D. She is a member of the Virginia State Bar.
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Jay Dick is the Senior Director of Equitable Advocacy and Partnerships in the Government Affairs Department at Americans for the Arts. As a twenty-five year veteran of K Street, Capitol Hill, the private sector, and federal, state, and local campaigns, Jay possesses a vast body of knowledge in the fields of arts policy, government, the legislative process, partnerships and grassroots advocacy. He is a nationally recognized speaker on these topics and works at all levels of government to advance the arts and culture in America. Jay is regularly interviewed by the media and testifies in front of legislative bodies as a subject matter expert on these topics and on Americans for the Arts’ legislative positions on appropriations, arts education, tax policy and health care.
With the mandate to positively affect the policies that promote state and local funding and expansion of the arts, Jay works closely with the Americans for the Arts’ State and District Arts Advocacy Captains, local arts agencies, state arts advocacy organizations, state arts agencies, regional arts organizations along with various arts organizations and artists to accomplish these goals. Further, he oversees Americans for the Arts’ partnerships and works closely with the members and staffs of the National Association of Counties (NACo), the United State Conference of Mayors (USCM), the National League of Cities (NLC) along with various private/business organizations.
Jay began working at Americans for the Arts in 2004. Prior, he worked for Capitol Advantage, a high tech advocacy company; the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM); and the Society of Plastics Industry (SPI). Jay spent the 1996 campaign cycle working as the Field Director for a congressional campaign in Iowa’s 3rd District and began his career with the United States Senate where he served on the personal staff of Senators Tom Harkin (IA) and Frank Lautenberg (NJ).
Jay recently completed a five-year term as a Gubernatorial appointed Commissioner for the Virginia Commission for the Arts and he has also served on the boards of Arts for LA (Los Angeles, CA) and ArtsFAIRFAX (Fairfax, VA), where he chaired their advocacy committee.
Jay received his B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in American History from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa in 1993.
Advocacy for the arts is his job but also his passion.
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Olivia is originally from North Carolina and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Olivia majored in History and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. The pairing gave her the chance to explore ways that society can learn from the past and reimagine the future. Recently, Olivia completed her Master of Education in Education Policy and Leadership from American University. Previously, Olivia was the Graduate Assistant for the Education Policy and Leadership Program. She enjoyed meeting prospective new students and facilitating informational panels for the community. Though “Hadestown,” the musical, is Olivia’s recent favorite, she enjoys attending all kinds of performing arts experiences. She has become interested and proficient in the art of crochet and is looking forward to new projects.
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Emily Ruddock brings 15 years of experience in strategic and management positions for non-profit arts organizations, including working as the first director of the City of Lynn’s Downtown Cultural District. Before joining MASSCreative in 2017, Ruddock was the artistic producer at Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT), where she managed the day-to-day operations of the Artistic Department, including hiring, resource logistics, and budgeting for theatrical productions. She also developed and supervised MRT’s first education department-focused effort, strengthening partnerships with local social service organizations and schools.
As director of Lynn’s Downtown Cultural District, Ruddock was highly regarded by city officials and local arts leaders for her leadership in coordinating arts and cultural organizations for neighborhood revitalization and economic development. Ruddock worked with elected city and state officials on a range of projects to promote downtown Lynn and the arts community, including drafting legislation establishing the city’s first Public Art Commission. She also organized and executed free public events featuring local arts and community groups.
She is a potter who loves making original ceramic art and functional ware for her home, her family and her friends. Ruddock serves on the Board of Directors for the Mass Nonprofit Network. She holds a Masters in Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Critical Social Thought from Mount Holyoke College.
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Julie Baker is a passionate arts professional. Prior to becoming Executive Director of Californians For The Arts in October of 2018, Julie Baker served on the board for four years as chair of the membership committee and Confluence, an arts advocacy conference. She is the owner of Julie Baker Projects, a full-service arts consulting firm. From 2009-2017, Julie Baker served as the Executive Director of The Center for the Arts, a non-profit performing arts venue and California WorldFest, an annual music and camping festival based in Grass Valley, CA.
Baker worked in New York City at several prominent art galleries and the international auction house Christie’s before becoming the President of her family’s art marketing agency, Gerngross & Company Inc. From 1998-2001, she worked as a Senior Executive Producer for Tristream, a 20- person web development and marketing/branding company. From 2001-2009 she owned and operated Julie Baker Fine Arts a gallery of emerging artists, and for 2 years co-founded Flow, an art fair in Miami. She currently serves on the board of CHIRP, California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project.
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Lori Meadows is an independent consultant in the areas of arts administration,non-profit organizational management, public art and historic textiles. She serves as chair of Kentuckians for the Arts, the commonwealth’s arts advocacy organization.
Meadows served as executive director of the Kentucky Arts Council from 2005 until her retirement in 2016, and was with the arts council for 22 years serving as individual artist director and executive staff advisor before her appointment as director.
Prior to her tenure with the Kentucky Arts Council, Meadows served from 1993-1995 as Director of the Kentucky Save Outdoor Sculpture! Project, sponsored by the National Museum of American Art and the National Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Property. From 1990-1993 she initiated and managed the Kentucky Textile Project, a documentation, preservation and public recognition project of all known Kentucky textile collections.
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February 9, 2024
Earmark$ WEBINAR 2024
Americans for the Arts and the Arts Action Fund hosted their Earmarks Webinar on February 9, 2024 at 3:00pm ET. Congressionally Directed Spending Requests, also known as congressional “Earmarks,” are specific provisions in annual federal appropriations legislation that allocate direct funds for particular government and nonprofit projects, programs, or activities back in each Member of Congress’ state and district. The Senate allows for arts-related Congressionally Directed Spending Requests, but the House currently does not. The focus of this webinar is on guidance for arts organizations to work with their Senate delegation to submit requests for FY’2025 funding.
This webinar will explain:
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The Congressionally Directed Spending process in the Senate
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How local arts leaders work with congressional delegation to propose arts-related projects
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Timing of when to submit requests to Senate office and deadlines for Senators to submit their requests to the various appropriations subcommittees
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Examples of local arts groups that have received an earmark in the past and their experience in how the process works
MEET OUR SPEAKERS
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Nina Ozlu Tunceli
Arts Action Fund Executive Director & Americans for the Arts General Counsel
For 30 years, Nina has served as the chief policy, advocacy, and political strategist for both organizations, representing the nation’s 4,000 local arts agencies and mobilizing more than 420,000+ arts activist members in advancing the arts in America.
After helping to secure several arts funding economic provisions in key COVID-Relief packages, including CARES Act, Economic Aid Act, and American Rescue Plan, Nina provided free daily then weekly Zoom Office Hours with Nina and special webinars since April 2020 and continues to do so today on a monthly basis. She has provided customized technical assistance to thousands of artists and arts organizations in successfully tapping billions of dollars in pandemic economic relief aid, including Shuttered Venue Operators Grants, Payroll Paycheck Protection forgivable loans, COVID EIDL and Targeted EIDL loans, Employee Retention Tax Credits, NEA funding, and more.
Nina also spearheads the ArtsVote: Make Your Vote Count campaign every federal election cycle, featuring artwork by Shepard Fairey as well as customized state voter factsheets and social media ads to educate voters on new state election rules and deadlines to effectively cast their vote. Everyone is encouraged to join the Arts Action Fund for free at www.ArtsActionFund.org/Join
Nina is a graduate of The George Washington University with a B.A. in French Literature, and of The University of Richmond School of Law with a J.D. She is a member of the Virginia State Bar.
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Bill Harper
Arts Action Fund Political Consultant & Partner at Harper Downing
Bill Harper is a Minnesota-based government affairs consultant specializing in federal policy and congressional appropriations. Harper retired from the U.S. House of Representatives in February 2023 after serving 22-years as chief of staff to Minnesota Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-MN04), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. Harper has vast experience advancing both domestic and national security policy initiatives while also driving a robust appropriations agenda, especially during Rep. McCollum’s tenure as chair of the Interior, Environment Appropriations subcommittee in the 116th Congress and chair of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee in the 117th Congress. In his role as chief of staff, Harper directed the effort to restore funding to Save America’s Treasures, protect and increase funding for the NEA, and helped to secure over $9 million in community project funding in FY2023 to arts organizations in Minnesota’s 4th congressional district.
Prior to the U.S. House, Harper served as campaign manager for Betty McCollum’s first race for Congress in 2000, at the time making her only the second woman ever elected to federal office in Minnesota history.
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Dr. Roberta Downing
Partner, Harper Downing LLC
Roberta Downing is a social psychologist with more than 20 years of public policy experience. She started her policy career in the U.S. Senate working for Sen. Edward Kennedy (MA) on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and then as the health policy lead for Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH). Downing has been a registered federal lobbyist for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the American Psychological Association and she led federal affairs for the city of Washington, DC. Downing also served in state government as Assistant Commissioner for External Relations at the Minnesota Department of Human Services and most recently was Assistant Vice President for Policy at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Downing earned her Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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Robert chelimsky
Managing Director, PWC
Robert Chelimsky is in his sixth season as the managing director at Playwrights’ Center, and his twenty-sixth as an executive leader in the nonprofit arts. In that span, in addition to other projects, he co-founded (with Charles R. Miller) the Smoky Mt. Shakespeare Festival/Bard of Education Shakespeare-in-the-Schools program, executive produced world premieres of Dispatches from (A)mended America by Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr. and Brandt Adams, and Nilaja Sun’s Pike St., the NY premiere of Jeanne Sakata’s Hold These Truths Off-Broadway, and partnered with Vivienne Benesch and Ethan McSweeney to create the Chautauqua New Play Commission. Now, in partnership with Jeremy B. Cohen, the staff, and the board of Playwrights’ Center, he has worked to deepen Playwrights’ Center’s organizational and financial durability and resilience, while expanding the breadth and depth of the Center’s support for playwrights, and leading the All Narratives Campaign to build the organization’s new home and next chapter. He’s proud to have served his communities by spending seven years on regional boards for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, as well as multiple terms on the board of Uprising Theater. He is currently the president of the board of the French-American Chamber of Commerce-MN. For all of that, his most valued roles are Kat’s (24) and Winter’s (13) dad, and Emily’s husband.
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Randall Reid Smith
Governor’s Curator for the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History
Randall Reid-Smith, of Barboursville, has served as the Governor’s Curator for the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History since June 2018. He continues to serve as the Commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, a position he has held since 2006. In both roles, Reid-Smith administers the State Arts Office, the West Virginia State Archives, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Library section, and the West Virginia State Museum. In addition, he oversees the Educational Broadcasting Authority, West Virginia Volunteer Services, and the National Coal Heritage Area Authority. He is an accomplished opera singer who has won numerous competitions at the state and regional levels and is listed in the International Who’s Who of Music and Musicians. Since the mid-1980s, Reid-Smith has maintained an international career as an operatic tenor. He taught at colleges around the country, and currently is an Adjunct Professor of Voice at West Virginia State University. Before returning to his native West Virginia, Reid-Smith served as the Director of Education and Outreach and Production at the Toledo Opera Association in Toledo, Ohio.
RESOURCES
Earmark Webinar SlidesFY'24 Senate Earmark Guidelines (note: fy'25 Not available yet)
FY’24 ALL “Member Request” Earmarks submitted by Senators
FY’24 All Pending “Projects in the Senate" Earmarks
FY'24 Pending Arts-Related Earmarks (Senate-Only)
FY'23 Awarded Arts-Related Earmarks (SENATE + HOUSE)
If you want to watch more webinars Americans for the Arts and the Arts Action Fund have hosted, please go to our Youtube page.
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January 23, 2024
AdvocACY 101 Webinar
We all want more support for the arts and culture from our federal, state and local government officials, but how do you go about achieving these goals? Our Advocating for the Arts in 2024 webinar on Tuesday, January 23, 2024 @ 3:00pm - 4:15pm ET, was the first of a series of 2024 advocacy webinars to learn from national, state and local advocacy experts about effective tips and strategies in educating your elected officials on why they should enact pro arts policies. The webinar covered the building blocks of starting meaningful relationships with key decision makers to hearing advocacy success stories and how they were achieved. Speakers included U.S. Congressional Staff, Americans for the Arts’ Federal Advocacy Captains, Americans for the Arts and Arts Action Fund Professional Staff. Use these tools that you learn not only for federal advocacy, but locally with your mayor, city council, school board or state legislatures.
Meet Our Speakers
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Advocacy 101 Presentation Slides
ARTS ACTION CENTERSOCIAL IMPACT EXPLORERFIND YOUR LEGISLATORS
Community Arts Engagement for Well-Being of Military InfoCommunity Arts Engagement for Well-Being of Veterans InfoCREATE Act InfoNational Endowment for the Arts Funding InfoPerforming Artist Tax Parity Act Info
State Department Arts in Embassies Program
Support Arts Education Funding for FY 2024
Support the arts education for all act
Status of FY'24 Arts Appropriations Bill
Proposed Language in FINAL VA Bill