On April 8th, CARTA Dean Brian Schriner attended the 26th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. According to the national organization, Americans for the Arts, The Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy “is a leading national forum for arts policy designed to stimulate dialogue on policy and social issues affecting the arts.” Every year it is held on the evening before Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, DC.
This year, Grammy-Award winning and arts advocate Yo-Yo Ma delivered the keynote address about what kind of education will best enable today’s students to develop creativity, flexibility, and the ability to innovate and work collaboratively. Many came away with an inspired message by this great musician. One such person was Dean Brian Schriner. When asked about his experience in Washington, he stated that it was “a privilege and an honor to represent FIU at the National Arts Advocacy Day, to attend the Nancy Hanks lecture at the Kennedy Center For the Performing Arts, and to lobby Congress shoulder-to-shoulder with the amazingly talented musician-humanitarian, Yo-Yo Ma.”
These events are organized through Americans for the Arts, a national organization that supports the arts and culture through private and public resource development. Every year, they organize a two day event where participants learn about arts issues and how to efficiently lobby Congress for increased public funding for the arts. Why is arts advocacy so important? The arts are continually threatened as budget cuts ensue in Congress, but advocates of the arts must help educate Congress about the importance that the arts plays in job creation. Interested in learning about art advocacy? Click here.
You can watch the keynote address by Yo-Yo Ma on YouTube.
You can read the speech here!
