[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14766]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF RESOLUTION HONORING AND SALUTING AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS 
                        ON ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 29, 2010

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 50th 
anniversary of Americans for the Arts. As the leading nonprofit 
organization for advancing the arts and arts education in the United 
States, Americans for the Arts continues to be dedicated to 
representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities 
for participation and enjoyment of all forms of the arts.
  Founded in 1960 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the original 
mission of Americans for the Arts was and continues to be to enhance 
support for the nonprofit arts. In 1965 Americans for the Arts played a 
key role in the establishment of the National Endowment for the Arts. A 
half century later Americans for the Arts continues to foster the arts 
at the local, state, and national level.
  Under the remarkable stewardship of Robert Lynch for the last 25 
years, Americans for the Arts has provided leadership and training to 
local public and nonprofit agencies through a national network of Arts 
and Business Councils, Business Committees for the Arts, local and 
state arts agencies, state arts advocacy organizations, and community-
based cultural organizations across the country serving 5,000 local 
arts agencies and their communities.
  Research by Americans for the Arts measured the economic impact of 
the arts, which showed that approximately 100,000 nonprofit cultural 
organizations generate $166.2 billion in economic activity every year 
supporting 5.7 million jobs. In my congressional district alone, there 
are over 1,200 arts-related businesses employing nearly 16,000 people.
  In addition to fostering arts jobs in our local communities, 
Americans for the Arts has worked to promote the importance of Arts 
Education in our public schools. Young people who regularly participate 
in arts programming are more likely to have better attendance records, 
be involved in their school government, excel in their academics, and 
develop the creative and innovative skills necessary to compete in the 
21st century global workforce.
  Through national events like Arts Advocacy Day, Americans for the 
Arts brings national attention to the importance of arts throughout our 
nation. The arts define our culture and instill unique character in the 
communities across our nation. Art transcends barriers of language, 
time, and generation, translating cultural differences, breathing life 
into history, and bridging experiences across cultures. They accomplish 
the seemingly impossible task of both revealing our differences across 
the globe, while managing to illuminate all that connects us.
  I thank Americans for the Arts for their fine achievements over the 
past 50 years. I know that the next 50 will be filled with even more 
accomplishments, and that we will continue to enjoy the richness that 
the arts provide to each of our lives.

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