Senator Sander's letter can be read in its entirety here.
On Friday, August 14, Vermont Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wrote a letter to the Iowa Arts Advocacy Caucus expressing his support for the aims of the conference and for the arts in general. Unable to attend the Advocacy Caucus, the Senator wrote that he was "very sorry I am unable to join you today... but I appreciate the opportunity to share a few thoughts with you."
Sanders first explained how as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, he created the Burlington Arts Council. He noted that "at the time, it was almost unheard of to have a municipally funded and supported effort to promote the arts". He went on to tout the economic and cultural benefits of a thriving arts scene in Vermont's biggest city, as well as the connections he forged with local schools, because arts education "teaches children to be expressive and think critically, and increases academic achievement." Sanders even said that when looking back, "founding the Burlington Arts Council was one of my proudest achievements [as mayor]".
Sanders, a candidate for the Democratic nomination, waxed poetic about the benefits of the arts throughout history. "For centuries, art has been a tool for both celebrating society's triumphs and illuminating the challenges we face," wrote Sanders. "Art inflames our passions - it pleases us, it shocks us, it makes us reflect on the artist's message and the emotions it evokes. Art is speech - a fundamental tenet of democracy and something we hold dear as Americans."
The self-described democratic socialist went on to discuss his defense of the arts and arts education in Congress "in spite of vicious attacks on the arts from conservative ideologues". Sanders wrote that "You have my promise that as President, I will continue to advocate strongly for robust funding of the arts in our cities, schools, and public spaces." (See the Arts Action Fund Congressional Report Cards for full arts voting records).
Although he could not attend the Iowa Arts Advocacy Caucus, the Junior Senator from Vermont made clear that he approved of the aims of the conference: "I commend the Iowa Arts Advocacy Caucus for your efforts to mobilize Americans in this fight. Your advocacy will help make sure that funding for the arts remians on the agenda during this Presidential election, and increases the chances that arts-friendly policies are adopted at all levels of government."
Despite trailing Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton in national polls, Bernie Sanders has recently seen his poll numbers improve in New Hampshire. He has one of the strongest pro-arts records in the 2016 Presidential field.