Artist Deduction Bill

From the American for the Arts

At the Congressional Arts Breakfast, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) announced that he would introduce the “Artist Deduction Bill” immediately following Arts Advocacy Day.  The “Artist Deduction Bill” supports individual artists by allowing them to take a fair-market value tax deduction for works they donate to nonprofit organizations.  As you may know, Rep. Lewis is a hero of the civil rights movement, and it is an honor to have him as the lead sponsor of a bill that takes a step toward providing equity for artists.  He was joined by Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN) in introducing the bill on March 14, the day after the Congressional Arts Breakfast.

Under current law, creators and collectors are treated differently when they donate tangible works (e.g., paintings or manuscripts) to museums, libraries, educational or other collecting institutions. A collector may deduct the fair-market value of the work, but creators may deduct only their "basis" value—essentially the cost of materials such as paint and canvas. 

We ask that you support this important legislation by sending a message to your Members of Congress asking them to co-sponsor S. 548 or H.R.1524, which would allow artists to take a fair-market value deduction for works given to and retained by nonprofit institutions.

http://capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=9521951&type=CO

This information is provided for your interest. Does not necessarily reflect the views of Gallery202, Partners in Art, Inc. or it's governing board.

Governor's Budget Released

Ohio Arts Council Budget Talking Points
 
Where the Ohio Arts Council Budget Stands

Current FY06-07 Budget: $22,476,322 (Subsidy $8,975,480 and Admin $2,262,681 each year)

GOVERNOR'S PROPOSED FY 08-09 Budget: $22,976,598 (Subsidy $9,147,480 and Admin $2,340,819 each year)

The release of Governor Strickland's proposed budget is a reversal of trends from previous years.  The Governor has provided a 2.2% increase for the Ohio Arts Council in his proposed budget for fiscal years 2008-2009.  This is a good step towards restoring the Ohio Arts Council's budget and a great opportunity for arts advocates to engage with policy-makers.  We will work with the Governor and all of our elected officials to ensure the arts are funded at a level that serves our state educationally, economically, and culturally.

During the past six years, the Ohio Arts Council’s budget has seen a continuous decline amounting to more than 30%. This decline has made a dramatic negative impact on the resources to artists and arts organizations in our state. We must turnaround this trend to support the arts, to enhance arts education, to grow the economy, and to protect Ohio’s rich cultural heritage.

The Ohio House Finance and Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education will hear testimony most likely in late March and make their recommendations to the Finance Committee who will then move the budget bill for full House consideration. Following the House approval the process begins again in the Senate. Ohio Citizens for the Arts will keep you posted as the process unfolds.

One thing is certain—the 127th Ohio General Assembly will continue to focus on Ohio’s two most pressing challenges – the economy and education. Ohio has nearly 16,500 arts related businesses that are tracked through Dunn and Bradstreet. These businesses employ nearly 83,000 people. The arts mean business. These creative knowledge workers need a strong foundation from which to grow their skills and interests. This connects directly to the need for high quality public education that includes the arts. Arts and culture have a vital role to play in strengthening of Ohio’s economy.

Our united message to legislators: RESTORE the Ohio Arts Council’s funding to its FY2000/2001 level of $32,247,900.

Key talking points:
1) The arts play an essential role in solving Ohio’s education challenges:
a) Children who are immersed in the arts in school do markedly better in all other academic subjects.
b) Scientific research supports the effectiveness of arts education to help students learn.
c) Arts education helps to strengthen reading and math skills, improve student behavior and reduce truancy, keep students in school, build oral language skills, enhance cognitive development, develop creative thinking skills, and transfer learning in the arts to other areas of learning.
d) Arts education fuels the creative and knowledge-based economies. Communities that want to remain economically strong should strive for a high level of arts learning in their schools and community organizations so that creativity, academic success and college readiness are improved.

2) The arts build strong economies by:
a) Creating Jobs
b) Stimulating Trade Through Cultural Tourism
c) Diversifying Local Economies
d) Public support of the arts leverages private dollars. Ohio Arts Council grants are matched by private dollars on an average of $45 to every one (1) state dollar.

3) The arts help people succeed in school, work and life by:
a) Fostering Creativity and Inventiveness
b) Improving the School Environment and Learning
c) Cultivating Readiness for College

This information is provided for your interest. Does not necessarily reflect the views of Gallery202, Partners in Art, Inc. or it's governing board.


 

National Arts Advocacy Day

Today, hundreds of dedicated arts supporters from across the country have come together in Washington, DC for National Arts Advocacy Day, a united effort to tell Capitol Hill how important culture is to our communities, how much arts education means to our children, and how much the arts improve our daily lives. 93 National CoSponsors have helped us shape this united arts message to Congress.

This year Arts Advocacy Day will be even busier than ever.  Not only because of the record number of advocates attending, but because Americans for the Arts has worked with House Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Norm Dicks (D-WA) to organize a special Arts Advocacy Day hearing titled “The Role of Arts in Creativity & Innovation”  We are very pleased that our President & CEO Robert Lynch will be joined by several other national leaders in the arts, including acclaimed jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, to testify at the hearing.
 
Even if you’re not able to join us in Washington, you can still participate in Arts Advocacy Day by asking your Members of Congress to support the arts. By visiting our E-Advocacy Center, you’ll be able to send a message directly to your Representative and Senators telling them why the arts are important to you and your community. We've provided bullet points covering our ten key Arts Advocacy Day issues, which you can use in the sample letter that we’ve drafted for you. We also encourage you to write your own unique story to illustrate the importance of the arts to your community. Using the E-Advocacy Center, you can create and send your letter to Congress in less than two minutes. We urge you to send your message to Congress today to coincide with our office visits to the Hill.

Last year we sent out a similar message – and over 2,400 messages were sent to 445 Capitol Hill offices within hours, greatly increasing the visibility of the arts supporters visiting with their Members that day! We hope to have that kind of impact again this year.  Click here to send your message.

Need more information? Browse the 2007 Congressional Arts Handbook (http://www.artsusa.org/get_involved/advocacy/aad/handbook/2007.asp) for issue briefs, voting records, latest arts research and trends, relevant Congressional committees, and Congressional contact lists.

Thank you for your continued support of the arts!

This information is provided for your interest. Does not necessarily reflect the views of Gallery202, Partners in Art, Inc. or it's governing board.