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• • • April 5, 2021 Dear Member of Congress, As a National Partner of the National Arts Action Digital Summit 2021, the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) is calling on Congress to increase current support and funding for federal agencies and programs that promote, sustain, and support the arts and the creative arts therapies in all areas of American life. The mission of the AATA is to advocate for expansion of access to professional art therapists and advance art therapy as a regulated mental health profession, working in concert with our 38 state and regional chapters. Art therapy is a mental health profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, the creative process, and applied psychological theory within a psychotherapeutic relationship. It offers a means of communication for people who cannot find the words to express anxiety, pain, or emotions. Art therapists are clinicians, educators, and researchers with Masters-level degrees or higher, trained in art and psychotherapy. During the Coronavirus pandemic, art therapists have been on the frontlines, both risking their safety in-person as essential workers and supporting Americans via teletherapy through loss, isolation, depression, and other challenges. Art therapists are keenly aware of the serious mental health needs of children and adolescents caused by the pandemic, the consequences of prolonged isolation of older adults, the added toll on LGBTQIA mental health, as well as persistent disparities in access to mental health services among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. We thank Congress for passing the American Rescue Plan which provided critical support for the arts, mental health, and those who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Congress has long supported the arts and mental health, as well as the creative arts therapies, through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Older Americans Act, the recent passage of Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act, and other federal programs. However, much more still needs to be done. To better respond to the mental health crisis that has accompanied the pandemic, the AATA urges Congress to strengthen our national arts and mental health infrastructure with the following actions: • Continue bipartisan support and substantially increase National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) funding in the FY 2022 Interior Appropriations bill to broaden access to the cultural, educational, and economic benefits of the arts and to advance creativity and innovation in communities across the United States. • Increase funding through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to expand the number of creative arts therapists employed in the VA providing clinical treatment in medical centers, community based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) and in virtual and telehealth services that reach a large number of rural and isolated veterans. • Support anticipated recommendations from the National Defense Authorization Act report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees on the feasibility of expanding the creative arts therapies programs. • Support research funding for creative arts therapies and arts in health programs within federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) within the Department of Health and Human Services. • Support the Promoting Local Arts and Creative Economy Workforce Act (PLACE Act), to direct the Department of Labor, Department of Education, and Small Business Administration to develop grant, education, and job training programs to assist individuals involved in projects that support a creative industry or occupation and to promote job growth, entrepreneurship, and economic inclusion in the creative arts workforce. The AATA strongly believes that accessibility to, and active participation in, the arts and the creative arts therapies promotes physical and emotional well-being and enhanced quality of life for people of all ages. We join with our partners in Americans for the Arts in urging Congress to continue its vital support for the arts and the creative arts therapies. Sincerely, Margaret Carlock Russo, EdD, LCAT, ATR-BC, ATCS President, American Art Therapy Association American Art Therapy Association ▪ 4875 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 240, Alexandria, VA 22304 www.arttherapy.org ▪ 888-290-0878 ▪ [email protected] 4/5/21 Dear Member of Congress: The American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) is proud to continue its role as an advocate for the arts by being a National Co-Sponsor of Arts Advocacy Day 2021. AACT represents the interests of 7,000 community theatres in the United States including U.S. Military theatres throughout the world. Music Theatre International’s (a provider of rights and materials for productions) Community Theatre customer base exceeds over 20,000 Community Theatres. These theatres, in communities from major cities to rural villages, have a combined budget of approximately one billion dollars and engage more than 1.5 million volunteers, expressing their creativity through the art of theatre and engaging a combined audience of over 85 million theatre goers of all ages. Beyond the volunteers served, community theatre collectively is the largest employer of theatre professionals in our nation. According to the Americans for the Arts, community theatre has contributed over three billion dollars to the economic impact of communities throughout our country. More than just an economic engine, however, community theatres throughout the country, probably including your hometown, help stimulate the minds and creativity of all who participate. The impact on youth in building confidence and honing communications skills and problem-solving capabilities are well documented and can only be achieved by theatre and the arts. AACT supports our member organizations by providing specific resources to assist in the management and execution of theatre with a constant goal of improving quality in all aspects of theatre. Through our workshops, national festivals, and interactive web site, we provide networking opportunities for both theatre professionals and avocational artists. AACT facilitates relationships for various services and discounts for our members only achievable through our collective efforts. To continue the vital role the arts play in our country, AACT urges Congress to: • Continue and increase the funding for the National Endowment for the Arts • Support new and strengthen existing COVID recovery programs and initiatives that encourage individual and community financial support for the arts • Look to develop new and innovative ways to further financially support the arts post-pandemic • Improve the visa process for foreign guest artists visiting our nation Thank you for your leadership and commitment to our country and the arts. Please let us know how we might be of help in the future in achieving our mutual goals. Sincerely, Chris Serface President PO Box 101476 Fort Worth, TX 76185 T: 817-732-3177 [email protected] www.aact.org April 5, 2021 Dear Member of Congress: The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) is proud to serve as a Partner of the National Arts Action Summit 2021. AMTA is committed to the mission of advancing public awareness of music therapy benefits and increasing access to quality music therapy services. With more than 70 years of clinical history in the United States, nationally board certified music therapists work across the lifespan, serving client groups in healthcare and education settings, using carefully structured and evidence-based interventions informed by the best available research in the published literature. ➢ Board certified music therapists have adapted service delivery and diversified treatment options to meet needs that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing both live and telehealth interventions to enhance physical, psychological, cognitive and social functioning. ➢ Music therapy programs serve America’s service members and their families on military installations, in military treatment facilities, in Veterans Administration healthcare facilities, and in communities. ➢ A recent report from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), “Arts Strategies for Addressing the Opioid Crisis: Examining the Evidence” found that incorporating music into treatments for opioid use disorder can contribute significant, positive effects for patients. ➢ Launched in 2021, the Sound Health Network is a partnership of the NEA with the University of California, San Francisco in collaboration with NIH, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Renée Fleming. It builds on the Sound Health Partnership, that brings together scientists, music therapists, artists, and the public to explore music’s impact on the brain, health, and wellness. To improve access to cost-effective music therapy services, we urge your support of the following: • Expand coverage of music therapy for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries • Support Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Education funding for music therapy, including telehealth, designed to address mental health needs exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic • Support increased funding through the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense for music therapy services, including telehealth, for veterans, active military, and their families Thank you for your support of all Arts