News & Issues

POSTED: Jan. 14, 2010
Advocacy Group Announces 2009 Fellows, $2.5 Million Awarded

In a challenging economic cycle, 50 artists received a welcomed year-end bonus for a job well done: each received a $50,000 unrestricted grant from United States Artists (USA).

The advocacy organization has announced the 2009 recipients of the USA Fellowship, which annually recognizes "the caliber and impact" of artists ranging from literature, media and the performing arts to the visual arts and design.

After an anonymous nomination process, each candidate must submit a portfolio for consideration. This year, a panel of experts reviewed nearly 350 applications.

Of the 50 Fellows named, six fell under the "Crafts and Traditional Arts" category:

United States Artists has given away $10 million to 213 artists nationwide since 2006. For more information and a complete list of the Fellows, visit http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/.

POSTED: Dec. 1, 2009
Finders Keepers: An Innovative Campaign to Promote Bead Art

Handcrafted beads are now being found in more places than jewelry boxes, thanks to an innovative marketing campaign sponsored by the International Society of Glass Beadmakers. Over the past year, the group has recruited hundreds of glass bead artists to participate in a "Release-A-Bead" program, which aims to share the beauty of the craft with the general public.

Each handcrafted bead is left in a public place with a simple message directing the lucky recipient to the project's website to share their story and photos. Since its inception, more than 1,000 beads have been released on bookshelves, hiking trails and beaches worldwide.

For more information about the Release-A-Bead Project, visit www.releaseabead.com. To learn about International Society of Glass Beadmakers, visit www.isgb.org.

POSTED: Sept. 1, 2009
Free Museum Admission

Hundreds of museums nationwide are offering FREE GENERAL ADMISSION on Saturday, September 26 in celebration of Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day.

Click here to find participating museums near you. Then, don’t forget to print the free admission card here.

For more information, go to http://smithsonianmag.com/museumday/.

POSTED: July 14, 2009
The Arts in the News

POSTED: July 1, 2009
The Arts in the News

POSTED: June 11, 2009
Update from Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO, Americans for the Arts

At the end of May, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting with First Lady Michelle Obama and a number of federal officials, where we discussed the Obama administration's vision for volunteer service for the summer of 2009. I thanked the First Lady for having the arts at the table and pointed out that the arts sector has a long history of community volunteer action. 

In fact, there is a great untold story about the impactful volunteerism that already exists at arts organizations across the country. There are also countless stories of artists volunteering in nontraditional settings such as hospitals, juvenile centers, and public housing venues. Now is the time to tell our important story, and now is the time for arts organizations nationwide to increase opportunities for volunteers to get involved in order to help stabilize the arts during this economic downturn.

Today, I am co-hosting a conference call with leaders from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Corporation for National & Community Service to ensure that more than 100 national arts service organizations can learn more about opportunities for arts groups to participate in a major White House summer service initiative. Details about the summer service initiative will be announced nationally by President Obama. Once these details are released, Americans for the Arts will help organize a much larger second conference call in order to give local and statewide arts organizations and others the specific tools to quickly get involved with this national initiative.
 
The White House summer service initiative specifically focuses on economic recovery and service in the four areas of energy efficiency, education and literacy, healthcare access, and community renewal. What many people do not fully realize is the extent to which arts organizations, local and state arts agencies, business committees for the arts, art education groups, and others already engage volunteers using the arts to help solve such broad community problems.
 
I urge our Americans for the Arts members, as well as our colleagues in the larger arts community, to participate in this upcoming summer service initiative. With the public attention I believe that the President and First Lady will bring to the effort, it will be worth our time to ensure that the arts are well represented.

Here are some preliminary action steps that you can take:

Thank you for all of the good work you already do. I look forward to seeing many of you at the Americans for the Arts Annual Convention in Seattle next week.

Sincerely,

 Right-click here to download pictures. To help protect your privacy, Outlook prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.
Robert L. Lynch
President & CEO

Americans for the Arts

POSTED: May 20, 2009
The Arts in the News

POSTED: April 20, 2009
The Arts in the News

POSTED: April 9, 2009
The Arts in the News

POSTED: April 3, 2009
Proposed Law Could Increase Artistic Donations to Public Institutions by 90%

A new bill promises to stimulate donations of art to museums, libraries and archives by allowing artists to deduct the fair-market value of a cultural gift. The Artist-Museum Partnership Act was simultaneously introduced in the House last month by John Lewis (D-GA) and in the Senate by Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Robert Bennett (R-UT).

Currently, artists who donate their work can only deduct the cost of materials, whereas collectors can deduct fair-market value for the same piece. Since there is no financial incentive for the creator to give a painting, sculpture, manuscript or sheet music to public institutions, a majority of the works are sold to private collectors. The bill aims to keep these pieces in the public domain by lifting this restriction.

Before 1969, artists were legally entitled to take a fair-market deduction. However allegations of high-profile abuse by such public figures as President Lyndon Johnson, Vice President Hubert Humphrey and President Richard Nixon prompted the Tax Reform Act, which stands to this day. Public institutions suffered as a direct result. For example, the Museum of Modern Art received 321 gifts in 1966. After the new law took effect, donations fell 90%.

To limit fraudulent deductions, lawmakers have carefully framed the bill to apply only to working artists. Institutions may reject a piece based upon quality, compatibility, space limitations and preservation costs. Any object priced at over $5,000 must obtain a "qualified appraisal" to assess the work against the sale value of similar pieces in the artist's portfolio.

Congress has repeatedly attempted to reform the tax law in favor of artists, but legislation has never passed the House. Former Senator Barack Obama cosponsored an identical bill last year and included the issue in his presidential campaign. Arts advocates are optimistic that it will now pass with his support.

FURTHER READING:
· S.405: Artist-Museum Partnership Act, GovTrack.us
· HR.1126: Artist-Museum Partnership Act, GovTrack.us
· Reviving the Creative Works Tax Deduction (2003), FindLaw

POSTED: April 2, 2009
Arts Advocacy Award Presented to Congressman John Lewis

Rep. Lewis (D-GA) and his 2009 National Award for Congressional Arts Leadership. The award was made by Nourot Glass Studio
Rep. Lewis (D-GA) and his 2009 National Award for Congressional Arts Leadership. The award was made by Nourot Glass Studio

Representative John Lewis (D-GA) received the 2009 National Award for Congressional Arts Leadership on Tuesday for his “distinguished service on behalf of the arts.”

Americans for the Arts and the United States Conference of Mayors jointly presented the award at the Congressional Breakfast that kicked off the 22nd annual Arts Advocacy Day activities hosted in the Dirksen Building on Capitol Hill, which houses many Senators’ offices.

Hundreds of people from around the country convened on the capitol for two days of seminars and meetings with congressional leaders. Optimistic supporters hope to increase the funding for the National Endowment for the Arts to $200 million in the 2010 budget. 

During his acceptance speech, Rep. Lewis gave a rousing defense for federal support for the arts and cultural programs and reminded the audience that artists were very much involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Most poignantly, he spoke of the importance of museums today as repositories of America’s history and culture, where the context for the difficult stories can be shared and understood.

Museums, he noted, should be the only places remaining today where an American child encounters a sign that says “Colored Only.” They preserve the important moments in history like the Civil Rights Movement and help ensure that America never forgets, he said. With and through the arts, “never give up.” He received a standing ovation.

Extending his legacy of support, Rep. Lewis recently sponsored the HR.1126 Artist-Museum Partnership Act, a bill that would make U.S. tax laws more fair to artists. Since 1969, artists have not been allowed to donate a piece of their own creation to a nonprofit and take a deduction for the market value of their work. They are currently allowed only to deduct the cost of materials (other people, meanwhile, who come into ownership of the same work of art can donate it and seek a deduction of the market value!) This discourages artists from donating works to museums and cultural programs and schools and other nonprofits, according to the Association of Art Museum Directors and other arts advocacy groups. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Robert Bennett (R-UT) sponsored companion bill S.405 in the Senate.

FURTHER READING:

POSTED: March 10, 2009
UPDATE: Handmade Toy Legislation
Arts advocates were able to postpone a decision on toy manufacturing legislation that would have harmed the nation’s craft artists.  The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act proposed strict testing of all children’s products, which would be prohibitively expensive for working artists.

The bill will now be voted on in February 2010. In the meantime, opponents of bill are drafting an amendment to exempt small-scale domestic manufacturers.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission released this statement about the stay of enforcement:

Significant to makers of children's products, the vote by the Commission provides limited relief from the testing and certification requirements which go into effect on February 10, 2009 for new total lead content limits (600 ppm), phthalates limits for certain products (1000 ppm), and mandatory toy standards, among other things. Manufacturers and importers -- large and small -- of children's products will not need to test or certify to these new requirements, but will need to meet the lead and phthalates limits, mandatory toy standards and other requirements.

The decision by the Commission gives the staff more time to finalize four proposed rules which could relieve certain materials and products from lead testing and to issue more guidance on when testing is required and how it is to be conducted.

Further reading:

Our Original Entry:

POSTED: December 22, 2008
Helping Handmade: Nation's Toys Threatened by Pending Legislation
Imagine a world in which handmade bears, giraffes and other artist-made toys became extinct. Under strict new legislation slated to take effect in February 2009, these toys and the artists who make them will be endangered species.

In August, Congress passed a bill intended to protect children from unsafe products. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act would require manufacturers of children's toys, clothing and accessories to certify that their products are free of toxins like lead and phthalates.
While regulating these harmful chemicals is certainly important, under the current format, this well-intentioned act would devastate small businesses.

Brooklyn-based craft gallery, Greenjeans , sounded the alarm on its blog: "Starting Feb. 10, 2009, any item intended for children under the age of 12 that hasn't been tested by a third party (at a prohibitive cost of up to $4000 per toy) and certified safe will be illegal to sell in this country."

Arts advocates agree that the best solution is an amendment to the law, to exempt independent, American small-scale producers of children's products. Handmade needs your help! Click the resources below to learn more about the legislation and how to become involved.
Further Reading:

Petitions available on the Internet: