1 AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS + + + + + 32nd ANNUAL NANCY HANKS LECTURE ON ARTS AND PUBLIC POLICY + + + + + MONDAY MARCH 4, 2019 + + + + + The Lecture was held in the Concert Hall at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, D.C., at 6:30 p.m. PRESENT ROBERT LYNCH, President and CEO, Americans for the Arts SONIA SOTOMAYOR, U.S. Supreme Court Justice BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL, Performing Artist RITA MORENO, Lecturer JULIE MURACO, Chairman, Board of Directors, Americans for the Arts Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 2 1 P-R-O-C-E-E-D-I-N-G-S 2 6:30 p.m. 3 MR. LYNCH: Good evening, everyone. 4 I want to welcome you all to Americans for the 5 Arts' 32nd Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and 6 public policy. 7 I'm Bob Lynch, President and CEO of 8 Americans for the Arts, and I want to thank you 9 for joining us here tonight. 10 (Applause) 11 Was that my mother who started that? 12 For joining us here tonight at the John F. 13 Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. 14 We are joined on this auspicious 15 occasion by several Members of Congress, 16 including Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, David 17 Cicilline, Betty McCollum, Chellie Pingree, and 18 Carol Miller, as well as the Head of the National 19 Endowment for the Arts, Mary Anne Carter, and 20 the Head of the National Endowment for the 21 Humanities, John Peede. 22 Thank you for all being here. Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 3 1 Several Members of the Americans for 2 the Arts Artists Committee are also with us 3 tonight, including opera singer Carla Dirlikov 4 Canales; musician Ben Folds; and Tony-award-winning 5 Broadway star Bryan Stokes Mitchell, who will 6 also be performing on stage this evening. 7 We are so pleased that they're all 8 here with us tonight but also all year round to 9 help advance our mission to educate and promote 10 the value of the arts as core to our society and 11 as the essence of our individual creative spirit. 12 In order to achieve that vision, we 13 realized that we needed to help the general 14 public better understand the ways, the multiple 15 ways, that the arts touch every aspect of their 16 lives. 17 And as a result, last year Americans 18 for the Arts unveiled its, I think, engaging and 19 very easy-to-use tool called the Arts and Social 20 Impact Explorer. 21 22 This award-winning interactive online 23 tool on the AmericansForTheArts.org website draws Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 4 1 together over 1000 data-points on how the arts 2 integrate into and impact community life by 3 showing a full range of how the arts support 4 traditional non-arts sectors. 5 For instance, you can read about how 6 arts therapy programs are assisting veterans 7 recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder, 8 or how urban neighborhoods dedicated as arts 9 districts are economically and visually 10 revitalizing previously blighted downtown areas 11 and infusing them with energy and jobs. 12 The Arts and Social Impact Explorer 13 tool includes detailed citations of the research 14 data documenting the effectiveness of the arts 15 programs along with vivid stories of how local 16 projects are making an impact in many different 17 areas. 18 Because the truth is that the arts Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 5 19 offer opportunities for creative solutions, from 20 better education to greater health outcomes, to a 21 more civically engaged citizenry. Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 6 1 It's just that people don't always see 2 the connection to the arts, decision-makers don't 3 always see that connection, and they don't 4 necessarily see that the arts made change happen. 5 So, what's the goal? The goal is to 6 provide local, state, and federal decision-makers 7 and arts leaders with the information and 8 research that they need on the spot, that moment, 9 to make that impact visible and to encourage 10 deeper investment in the arts through pro-arts 11 policies and public and private funding. 12 We want you to use it often and well 13 and in ways that surprise and open up 14 opportunities to advance the arts in your 15 community or your state, or in this nation. 16 I am very honored to share that 17 Americans for the Arts and the Arts Action Fund were 18 recognized nationally with the 2019 Public Affairs Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 7 19 Counsel Innovation Award because of the innovation, 20 advocacy, and policy work that we are doing with the 21 Arts and Social Impact Explorer. 22 (Applause) Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 8 1 Thanks for the hardworking staff that 2 did it and the hardworking Board that enabled it 3 so thank you for that. 4 In addition to collecting and 5 documenting great research data and compelling 6 art stories, we also regularly gauge the pulse of 7 what Americans think about the arts through 8 public opinion polls. 9 It not only gives us insight but it 10 also measures whether we're moving the needle in 11 the right direction to advance the arts across 12 America. 13 In 2018, Americans for the Arts 14 interviewed 3000 people and released one of the 15 largest national public opinion surveys of 16 American perceptions and attitudes towards the 17 arts and art funding, entitled Americans Speak 18 Out About The Arts. 19 And so what did we learn? We learned 20 that the great majority of Americans continue to 21 be highly engaged in the arts, the great 22 majority, believe more strongly than ever that Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 9 1 the arts promote personal wellbeing and agree 2 that the arts help us understand other cultures. 3 We know that they are essential to a 4 well-rounded education because a huge number, 90 5 percent, of the public believes that. And they 6 further believe that government has an important 7 role in funding the arts. 8 As many of you know, tomorrow is Arts 9 Advocacy Day and Americans for the Arts will be 10 highlighting the top-line findings of this 11 national survey. 12 And this will be done in ads that are 13 being placed in key newspaper here in Washington 14 that decision-makers will take a look at. 15 And our message is simple, the arts 16 transform communities, and more specifically, 86 17 percent of Americans believe that the arts are 18 good for the economy and support jobs. Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 10 19 94 percent of Americans believe that 20 the arts should be taught in K-12 education. 21 (Applause) 22 And 72 percent of Americans across the Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 11 1 country across sectors believe that the arts 2 unify us regardless of race, age, or ethnicity. 3 So here's the bottom line, we are quite simply 4 better people with the arts in our lives. 5 We are healthier, we're more creative, 6 and we're more actively engaged citizens who feel 7 better about today and more optimistic about 8 tomorrow. 9 In a society struggling to find equity 10 and social justice, Americans understand that 11 even in challenging times, the arts make our 12 communities healthier and stronger, and more 13 unified. 14 And with that spirit of unity, 15 Americans for the Arts has worked to promote more 16 equitable access to a full creative life for all Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 12 17 people since its inception, some almost 60 years 18 ago in 1960. 19 While the type of work may have varied 20 over time, our commitment to equity, diversity, 21 and inclusion has not. Our commitment was shaped 22 by the strong guidance of early Board Members Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc. (202) 234-4433 Washington DC www.nealrgross.com 13 1 Judy Baca and Harry Belafonte and Ralph Ellison 2 and Billy Taylor, who was on our Board and who 3 was a previous Hanks lecturer. 4 Ellison, who in 1968 was the first 5 artist to join our Board, famously said America 6 is woven of many strands, I would recognize them 7 and let it so remain. Our fate is to become one 8 and yet many. 9 That strong Board guidance has 10 continued through the years. In 2016, the 11 Americans for the Arts Board of Directors pushed 12 further and unanimously adopted a more specific 13 strategic and long-time commitment to cultural 14 equity. 15 We are committed to championing 16 policies and practices of cultural equity that 17 empower a just, inclusive, equitable nation Neal R.