    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 124, 111th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    PROCLAMATION 8571--OCT. 1, 2010

    Proclamation 8571 of October 1, 2010
    National Arts and Humanities Month, 2010
    By the President of the United States of America
    A Proclamation

    Throughout history, the arts and humanities have helped men and women
    around the globe grapple with the most challenging questions and come to
    know the most basic truths. In our increasingly interconnected world,
    the arts play an important role in both shaping the character that
    defines us and reminding us of our shared humanity. This month, we
    celebrate our Nation's arts and humanities, and we recommit to ensuring
    all Americans can access and experience them.
    Our strength as a Nation has always come from our ability to recognize
    ourselves in each other, and American artists, historians, and
    philosophers have helped enable us to find our common humanity. Through
    powerful scenes on pages, canvases, and stages, the arts have spurred
    our imaginations, lifted our hearts, and united us all without regard to
    belief or background.
    The arts and humanities have also helped fuel our economy as well as our
    souls. Across our country, men and women in the non-profit and for-
    profit arts industries bring arts and cultural activities to our
    communities, contributing tens of billions of dollars to our economy
    each year. Today, arts workers are revitalizing neighborhoods,
    attracting new visitors, and fostering growth in places that have gone
    too long without it.
    As we work to bring the power of the arts and humanities to all
    Americans, my Administration remains committed to providing our children
    with an education that inspires as it informs. Exposing our students to
    disciplines in music, dance, drama, design, writing, and fine art is an
    important part of that mission. To promote arts education and pay
    tribute to America's vibrant culture, First Lady Michelle Obama and I
    have been proud to host a White House Music Series, Dance Series, and
    Poetry Jam. We have been honored to bring students, workshops, and
    performers to ``the People's House;'' to highlight jazz, country, Latin,
    and classical music; and to invite Americans to listen to the music of
    the civil rights movement, hip-hop, and Broadway.
    By supporting the fields that feed our imagination, strengthen our
    children's education, and contribute to our economy, our country will
    remain a center of creativity and innovation, and our society will stand
    as one where dreams can be realized. As we reflect on the contributions
    of America's artists, we look forward to hearing their tales still
    untold, their perspectives still unexplored, and their songs still
    unwritten. May they continue to shed light on trials and triumphs of the
    human spirit, and may their work help ensure that our children's
    horizons are ever brighter.

    NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
    America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
    the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2010 as
    National Arts and Humanities Month. I call upon the people of the United
    States to join together in observing this month with ap-

    [[Page 4702]]

    propriate ceremonies, activities, and programs to celebrate the arts and
    the humanities in America.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of
    October, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
    fifth.
    BARACK OBAMA