Advocacy

If you are you a concerned citizen who is committed to developing your community through the arts and arts education in Oklahoma and around the country, you can help ensure that arts-friendly public policies are adopted at the federal, state, and local levels, and public and private resources are maximized.

Here is some information to help you become an arts advocate.

• Find your Federal and State Legislators - Enter your physical address and locate your federal and state representatives
• Voter Registration in Oklahoma - Information from the Oklahoma Election Board about who is eligible to vote, how to register, change registration, and general election information.
• Advocacy Tools - A collection of resources to assist you with your advocacy efforts.

Advocacy News

STATE LEVEL: Oklahoma Arts Council

For FY2010, the Oklahoma Legislature approved a final appropriation of $5,150,257 for the Oklahoma Arts Council, the official state agency for the support and development of the arts in Oklahoma. Executive Director Suzanne Tate expressed her appreciation to Governor Brad Henry, House Speaker Chris Benge, Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee, Treasurer Scott Meacham and House and Senate leaders for their hard work in creating the state budget especially considering the challenging fiscal environment in which we are operating this year. In particular, Tate thanked Rep. Lee Denney and Sen. Jim Halligan, chairs of the Education Subcommittee on Appropriations, for their untiring efforts to bring quality arts education to Oklahoma children.

"This is a particularly critical time for non-profit arts organizations who have worked very hard to survive, let alone live within their means,” said Tate. “Oklahoma communities depend on funds from the Arts Council to support jobs that help grow Oklahoma’s economy. They know the crucial nature that funding from Oklahoma Arts Council plays in their community’s ability to continue to provide high quality artistic experiences and education programming. With this appropriation, the Legislature recognizes the value the arts have in our communities, our schools and the lives of our citizens.”

Americans for the Arts News

Advocacy Resources

The Americans for the Arts E-Advocacy Center provides action alerts to keep you advised on the latest updates on Federal action pertaining to the arts.

• Americans for the Arts
  National organization that supports the arts and culture through private and public resource development.
  
  
• National Association of State Arts Agencies (NASAA)
  The membership organization that unites, represents and serves the nation's 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies created to support excellence in and access to the arts.
  
  
• National Endowment for the Arts
  
  
• The American Arts Alliance is a national network of more than 3,000 members comprising the professional, nonprofit performing arts and presenting fields. The Alliance is the premiere advocate for America's professional nonprofit arts organizations, artists and their publics before the US Congress and key policy makers.
  

• Candidate Forum on the Arts Guide
  Prepared by the Oklahoma Arts Council, this guide is intended to help organizations coordinate and produce a Candidate Forum on the Arts.  Holding a Forum can be an important tool for determining where candidates for public office stand on important issues such as public funding for the arts before citizens go to the polls.