Nebraskans For The Arts

10/19/2026

ADVOCACY BLOG

During This Election Cycle, Let’s Remember Mr. Rogers' Lesson on Being a Good Neighbor

As we near election day, there’s a lesson we can all turn to from the timeless wisdom of Mr. Rogers. He didn’t just teach children how to tie their shoes but also the importance of being a good neighbor. In a time when political discussions can easily become divisive, we’re reminded that we can hold onto our values and beliefs while still respecting those of others.

Read more on the NFTA Advocacy Blog
https://www.nebraskansforthearts.org/mr-rogers-lesson-on-being-a-good-neighbor/

During This Election Cycle, Let’s Remember Mr. Rogers' Lesson on Being a Good Neighbor As we near election day, there’s a lesson we can all turn to from the timeless wisdom of Mr. Rogers. He didn’t just teach children how to tie their shoes or navigate everyday challenges, he taught…

10/16/2026

📚 Have you done your homework yet?

Your assignment: Meet in person, email, or call your state senator—or connect with both candidates running in your legislative district—to discuss the importance of the Nebraska Cultural Endowment (NCE)!

Here’s your homework checklist:

✅ Share the facts. Explain that Nebraska is home to the nation’s only public-private arts endowment! Resources: https://nebraskaculturalendowment.org/advocacy/

🎥 Share the video. Visit the NCE Advocacy Resources page and share the informational video.

📍 Make it local. Share the impact of arts and humanities in your legislative district and why this investment matters to your community.

📝 Report back. Tell us how your conversation went, including any feedback or questions you received. Log your interaction in the Arts Action Center! https://nebraskansforthearts.quorum.us/log/

Advocacy takes all of us! Building relationships with our elected officials and candidates today helps protect the future of Nebraska’s arts and humanities.

⏰ Don’t procrastinate. Do your homework today!

10/15/2026

10/09/2026

There is no better arts advocate than Wynton Marsalis. Read and watch this news story.

KLKN Channel 8 references Nebraskans For The Arts and the National Association for Music Education advocacy efforts on the tariffs impacting musical instruments and music education.

🎵 You too can help!
📇 Contact your elected officials about the negative impact of tariffs on music
🗳️Prepare to VOTE by researching the candidates who support arts and education.
🛜 For more information, go to nebraskansforthearts.org

As Wynton Marsalis stated, “I feel like we have to be more involved in our political process and understand that our tax dollars need to go into our kids,”
Adding, “One thing is for sure, better band programs never hurt a society. If you can show me how, man, we had really great band programs and we ended up in much worse shape? That never happens.”

Americans for the Arts
Nebraska Cultural Endowment
Nebraska Music Education Association
Nebraska Arts Council
Channel 8 News KLKN TV Lincoln

"We need music for our kids, whoever you are, wherever you are, and we need the music programs to be better," said Marsalis.

10/08/2026

It’s National Arts & Humanities Month!

Nebraskans for the Arts is joining Americans for the Arts in the campaign.

This October, we’re celebrating Stories Unite Us — highlighting the ways the arts and humanities connect people and communities across every difference.

And the connection is real: 72% of Americans believe the arts provide shared experiences with people of different races, ethnicities, ages, beliefs, and identities.

This year, we’re inviting everyone to and join the national conversation.
Here’s how you can participate:
✅ Tell Congress why federal arts funding matters.
✅ Visit ArtsVote.org to access resources to stand up for the arts this election season.
✅ Host or participate in a National Arts & Humanities Month event in your community.
✅ Share your personal arts and humanities journey on social media using .
✅ Uplift the Kennedy Center by submitting your story and photos at https://lnkd.in/e-aezjZC.

STORIES UNITE US: ADD YOUR VOICE.
Help show how the arts bring us together.

10/07/2026

The Nebraskans for the Arts Advocacy Update Newsletter is available.
https://conta.cc/4AS6438
In this issue:
* ArtsVOTE 2026: Make Your Voice Heard!
* National Endowment for the Arts Visit
* Help protect Nebraska’s culture
* From Tariffs to the Kennedy Center - Time for Your Advocacy

Email from Nebraskans For the Arts Arts Advocacy Updates   Nebraskans for the Arts (NFTA) is your arts advocacy organization.   Arts Advocacy Update October 2026 ArtsVOTE 2026: Make Your Voice Heard!

10/06/2026

In “Soaring Instrument Prices Could Stop the Music at Many Schools” (New York Times, October 2, 2026), Sydney Ember shares the challenges schools around the country are facing from tariffs that “are straining meager band and orchestra budgets.”

NAfME member Jeff Lipscomb a high school orchestra director in Kanawha County, West Virginia, shared, “I’ve actually had to buy instruments out of my own pocket.”

“I don’t even have a budget. Zero money,” shared Carolynn Langston, who has been teaching music at low-income elementary schools in Oregon for two decades. “Instruments are more expensive, which then squeezes even tighter on somebody like me.”

NAfME member Latasha Casterlow-Lalla, supervisor of visual and performing arts for Passaic Public Schools in northern New Jersey, shared that the prices of many instruments have grown exponentially since the pandemic. “A student saxophone that used to be $420 is more than $900. Tubas are at least $9,000, and the high school band wants four. If the proposed brass tariffs go into effect, she said, buying all of them would probably take her five or six years. By then, the would-be tuba players would have graduated.”

“We’re going to eventually hit our rubber-meets-the-road moment,” Casterlow-Lalla said.

NAfME Southern Division President Annamarie Bollino of Virginia also weighed in, saying she expected the proposed tariffs on brass instruments would further push up prices.

Read the full article (registration/subscription required): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/02/business/economy/tariffs-instruments-school-music-programs.html

Take action today by contacting your members of Congress: https://bit.ly/oppose-brass-wind-tariffs

And read more about the issue here: https://bit.ly/brass-wind-tariff-blog

10/05/2026

Early Voting Has Begun in Nebraska.

Keep the Arts in Mind when researching your candidates.

10/01/2026

It is October 1 and Election Day is 33 Days away.
Prepare by knowing the details and deadlines for voting by mail, early in person, and on Election Day.

The Nebraska Arts Action Fund has conducted an arts survey with the candidates. Learn more about the candidates who responded on the Arts Action Fund site. t.ly/3717X

Art is Essential. Voting is Critical.

09/29/2026

We are about 2 weeks away from the deadline to nominate a deserving school or school district that supports strong fine arts education.

Nomination information: https://www.nebraskansforthearts.org/programs/nebraskarts/