NEA Fine Arts Task Force Final Recommendations 2/22/2011

MEMO

TO:              Dennis Van Roekel, President

                        National Education Association

FROM:           Princess Moss, NEA Executive Committee

                        Fine Arts Task Force Co-Chair

                        Greg Johnson, NEA Executive Committee

                        Fine Arts Task Force Co-Chair

DATE:         February 22, 2011

RE:             Fine Arts Task Force Proposed Recommendations—New Business Item 2010-86

The NEA president established a Fine Arts Task Force in response to NBI 2010-86—adopted by the 2010 NEA Representative Assembly (RA)—which provides as follows:

NEA Fine Arts Task Force Meeting Minutes—Webcast –February 9, 2011

NEA Fine Arts Task Force Meeting—Webcast –February 9, 2011

The meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m. ET

Meeting Participants: (2-Absences: Andrew Corbin, Derrick Johnson)

·         Princess Moss (Co-Chair)- NEA Exec. Committee, elementary school music teacher

·         Greg Johnson  (Co-Chair)- NEA Exec. Committee, high school choir director

·         Tom McLaughlin- a high school drama teacher

·         Jennifer Roberts- a high school art teacher

·         Christopher Thomas, NEA Staff Liaison

·         Aaron Muhammad- Manager, Governance and Policy

Your Voice Matters!

Please join--and contribute--to our sister organization who is doing more than anyone in the nation to advocate for our cause... 

The arts enrich our lives. From the high school musical that attracts an entire town to the regional theater that brings groundbreaking new plays to life, the arts make us smarter, increase our happiness, and connect us more deeply to each other.

Quite simply, the arts are essential to the proper functioning of American society. Among other crucial benefits, the arts:

NEA FUNDING: Watch the Debate

NEA Funding: Amendment Number 196 from Americans for the Arts on Vimeo.

Cutting Funding to the NEA

8 votes. That was the narrow vote margin of 217 to 209 by which the House approved Rep. Tim Walberg’s amendment to cut an additional $20.5 million from the already reduced budget of the National Endowment for the Arts. We were so close. All but 3 Democrats voted against the arts funding cut, but only 22 out of 241 Republicans voted against the cut. You can see how your Representative voted and watch the video excerpts from the floor debate.

Axe to the Arts?

We need your help.

The new majority in power in the U.S. House of Representatives is taking an axe to the current 2011 federal budget in an attempt to bring it down to levels from three years ago. That alone would cut irreplaceable National Endowment for the Arts funding to state and local nonprofit arts groups by at least $27 million immediately.

The Skills Connection Between the Arts and 21st-Century Learning

Arts Education and 21st-Century Skills
By Bruce D. Taylor of Education Week
Published in Print: February 2, 2011, as Not for Art's Sake Only

Few of us could disagree that today’s students must be taught the necessary skills to function in an increasingly complex, conceptual, and globalized 21st-century society and economy. Students have to acquire so-called “habits of mind” that will enable them to develop the skills of creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. In addition, they must be able to communicate effectively, collaborate with people different from themselves, exercise initiative, and be self-directed.