[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-

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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