May 2015 Newsletter

ADVOCACY UPDATE: ADVOCACY UPDATE: DAA at National Arts Advocacy Day Continued..... DAA went to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, March After the delegation’s visit, Senator Chris 24th, leading the Delaware delegation for Coons’ office sent letters to the Alliance National Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, showing the Senator’s signed support of DC. The delegation had productive meetings increased funding for the NEA and the Office with the staffs of Senators Chris Coons and of Museum Services—and we thanked the Tom Carper and Representative John Carney. Senator for his support. DAA is reaching out Organized by Americans for the Arts, National to Senator Carper and Representative Carney Arts Advocacy Day brings arts advocates from to ask for their support of the NEA funding. across the nation to DC to advocate for DAA is requesting that Delaware legislators increased and sustained funding for the arts. support the reauthorization of the Elementary & Secondary Education Act; protect the full DAA’s delegation was comprised of arts value and scope of the charitable deduction leaders and artists throughout the state. in charitable gifts; and to join the Senate Joining DAA’s Executive Director Guillermina Cultural Caucus. Gonzalez were DAA members JoAnn Balingit, Delaware’s Poet Laureate; Melissa Grier, dancer and arts advocate; Barbara Cairns, Development Director at The Delaware Symphony Orchestra; George Meldrum, DAA Board Member and Lobbyist, Delaware Valley Government Affairs at Nemours; Sheila Dean Ross, Program Officer for Arts in Education and Accessibility at the Delaware Division of the Arts; and JuneRose Futcher, maritime photographer and member of DAA Membership Committee.

The DAA Delegation for National Arts Advocacy Day at the Capital Building in front of the Calder Sculpture, Mountains and Clouds, in the Hart Senate Office Building.

STAY CONNECTED TO DAA:

DAA’s Delaware Delegation arriving at Representative John Carney’s Voter Voice and You office. (Left to right: JuneRose Futcher, George Meldrum, JoAnn Balingit, Sheila Dean Ross, and Barbara Cairns). The Delaware Arts Alliance is gearing up for the 2016 election, and we need YOUR help! Board member George Meldrum commented on the importance of DAA’s participation in The DAA recently acquired VoterVoice through Arts Advocacy Day, “As arts advocates, we have an award from Americans for the Arts. This an obligation to the larger arts community to advocacy software will help DAA directly educate political leaders about the issues connect our members with their legislators facing the arts community with regard to and elected officials. You will be able to funding, the importance to economic see issues impacting the arts locally and development and the role the arts play in nationally, search for your legislators, and our culture. They may not inherently know receive calls to action. our issues. Reaching out to our federal But in order to use VoterVoice effectively, we delegation is just one of the more tangible need DAA member addresses. Click link below representations of how the Delaware Arts https://www.signup82north.com/beventLive.aspx?EventID=NBI16586020 Alliance works to promote the mission of our to fill in your home address. This information members and enrich the lives of Delawareans.” will only be used to help you connect to your legislators; your address will never be shared or sold. DAA MEMBER PROFILE: BARB BULLOCK DAA MEMBER PROFILE: BARB BULLOCK A True Romance with the Arts Continued... Barb is a board member of ArtCO (Delaware Barb Bullock lights up when asked about her Arts Stabilization Fund), Delaware Theatre role in the Wilmington arts community and Company and the Light Up the Queen the role the arts have played in her life. “I was Foundation. She serves on the Greater fortunate to have people close to me who Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau’s really supported me when I was growing up,” marketing committee, the Association of Barb says. “For me it was all about my parents Fundraising Professionals Brandywine Chapter and my amazing teachers.” communication awards committee and the City of Wilmington’s Fringe Festival steering committee. A longtime city resident, Barb and James live in the Triangle neighborhood. They are both proud members of the DAA, remain active participants in the Delaware arts community, and have not strayed far from the City Theater Company where they first met and where James still performs.

THANK YOU... To our Institutional Supporters, who make DAA’s work possible! 1. Biggs Museum DAA Member Barb Bullock with her husband James Kassees. 2. Camp Rehoboth A music, theatre and art enthusiast, Barb 3. Cathedral Choir School of Delaware earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre 4. Chapel Street Players 5. Christina Cultural Arts Center with a minor in voice from Shenandoah 6. City Theater Company University (formerly Shenandoah Conservatory 7. Clear Space Theatre Company of Music) in Winchester, Virginia. After college 8. Coastal Concerts Inc. graduation she toured professionally as an 9. Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA) actor with Theatre IV out of Richmond, Virginia, 10. Delaware Art Museum for two years. Returning to Delaware, she ac- 11. Delaware First Media 12. Delaware Center for the cepted a position at the Grand Opera House Contemporary Arts (DCCA) working in the box office, eventually landing 13. Delaware Photographic Society the role of director of marketing. 14. Delaware Shakespeare Festival 15. Delaware State Chamber of Commerce In 1996, Barb volunteered for City Theater 16. Delaware Symphony Orchestra 17. Dover Symphony Orchestra Company (CTC) in a marketing capacity. It was 18. Dream Art Studio / Voz Latina Magazine there that she met James Kassees, also a 19. El Centro Cultural marketing volunteer and actor at CTC. Barb 20. El Tiempo Hispano and James married in 2002. 21. First State Ballet 22. Grand Opera House Today, Barb is the Director of Development 23. Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau 24. Kent County & Greater Dover, and Communications for Wilmington Delaware Visitors Convention Bureau Renaissance Corporation (WRC), a public- 25. Lewes Library private economic development agency. 26. Market Street Music Currently, WRC is spearheading Wilmington’s 27. Mélomanie Creative District (CD). The CD will be a vibrant 28. Music School of Delaware 29. Newark Arts Alliance city center, focused on innovative production 30. Opera Delaware and consumption, where creative 31. Pieces of a Dream, LLC. entrepreneurs – artists, musicians, designers 32. Possum Point Players and tech innovators – and neighborhood 33. Rainbow Chorale of Delaware residents thrive and where locally designed 34. Rehoboth Art League goods and original works are made and 35. Rehoboth Beach Film Society 36. Southern Delaware Choral Society consumed. 37. University of Delaware: Arts Department 38. University of Delaware: Music Department With more than 20 years of marketing, 39. University of Delaware: Theatre Department fundraising and special event experience, 40. University of Delaware: University Museums Department Barb has worked in both the nonprofit 41. Wilmington Renaissance Corporation community and the private sector. When it comes to the arts community, she has Delaware Arts Alliance participated in every aspect: as a volunteer, 100 W. 10th Street, Suite 206, Wilmington, DE 19801 a performer, a supporter and an employee. (302) 425-5500 ext. 107 Barb has worked for a variety of nonprofit [email protected] organizations in management roles, www.DelawareArtsAlliance.org​ specializing in fundraising, marketing www.facebook.com/DelawareArtsAlliance and event management. Rounding out twitter: @DEArtsAlliance her professional career, she also spent time Instagram: @deartsalliance working in the corporate world.