Americans for the Arts has a policy template for the Biden/Harris team
The new administration taking office on January 20 is poised to address this suffering. For the past few months, Americans for the Arts has been advising Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on the best way to forge a new partnership between the arts and government.
In early September of this year, Americans for the Arts released “Putting Creative Workers to Work,” a template for arts and government cooperation. Representatives from cultural nonprofits and government agencies, creative gig workers, independent artists and members of the BIPOC community all contributed to identifying specific goals that the Biden administration can put into effect, even if Republicans maintain control of the Senate.
Proposed actions include an expansion of existing workforce hiring programs to include artists and creative workers, launching a program of federal arts commissions, developing an ArtistCorps within AmeriCorps, continuing CARES Act policies that extended benefits to the self-employed, and the creation of a new leadership position to coordinate federal arts policy.
“What is the best way to get the arts into every aspect of the federal government and private sector life?” explained Nina Ozlu Tunceli, Executive Director of Americans for the Arts Action Fund. “Our recommendation is that, within the White House, there be a cultural advisor to the president, reporting directly to the president, who considers how the arts can fit into every new policy that’s developed.” Amy Webb, Director of Business Programs and Partnerships at Americans for the Arts, added, “That advisor should coordinate arts grantmaking programs and oversee agencies like the NEA and NEH. Right now, there isn’t one person or one voice in government who represents arts and culture. To thread all those pieces together within the executive office would be very exciting.”
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