Americans for the Arts

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This week, the field showed up in every form. AFTACON 2026 gave us four incredible days together in Albuquerque. 1,000+ ...
06/05/2026

This week, the field showed up in every form. AFTACON 2026 gave us four incredible days together in Albuquerque. 1,000+ arts advocates, organized, energized, and ready to build.

A big shout out to Ayanna Hudson, who just celebrated one year with AFTA as Chief Programs Officer and delivered an experience with her team the field won’t forget.

We closed the final days of the conference with:
→ Performers on the mainstage who moved, sang, and created like the future depends on it.
→ ARTventures that took us into the community and Incubators that brought the community’s ideas into focus.
→ Lowriders and community dancing that reminded us arts advocacy is about protecting THIS. Belonging.
→ Arts Action Fund Reception bringing advocates together to turn our momentum into wins at the ballot box.

We’re deeply grateful to the City of Albuquerque Department of Arts and Culture and the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs — including Cabinet Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego and Mayor of Albuquerque Tim Keller — who opened their community to this field with generosity, pride, and purpose.

The conference is made possible through support from these amazing cultural partners as well as Cultural Planning Group, Knight Foundation, Lord Cultural Resources, National Arts Strategies, New Mexico Arts, and Your Part-Time Controller, with additional support provided by New Mexico Rail Runner Express and Visit Albuquerque.

We know the work extends beyond these four days in June. But we're thrilled to share we'll be convening again for AFTACON 2027 in Atlanta!

If you missed out on the magic, every mainstage moment is yours to watch for free.

🔗 https://bit.ly/43bDpqp

06/05/2026

ArtsVote is back — and bigger than ever.

At AFTACON 2026, we officially relaunched ArtsVote with a new logo and call to action for the arts field.

The logo was designed by Chicago-based artist Bob Faust. His thinking? “A check mark represents a choice, but more importantly, an action.”

Right now, 76% of Americans believe the arts are personally important — one of the last areas of genuine agreement across this country. ArtsVote is how we turn that support into wins.

We’re concluding AFTACON 2026 with our mainstage plenary: ArtsVote 2026 — Organizing in Unexpected Places. Featuring Jamey Lundblad (AFTA), Yosi Sergant (TaskForce), Edreece Arghandiwal (Oakland Roots and Soul Sports Club), Paola Velez (Bakers Against Racism), and Jackie Bastard (Jolt Action).

Watch live: https://bit.ly/43bDpqp

Four days in Albuquerque. A movement that doesn’t stop here.

What’s coming:
→ ArtsVote Marketing toolkit — June 2026
→ National Marketing Campaign led by Yosi Sergant and TaskForce
→ Webinars through November

Learn more and get involved: ArtsActionFund.org/ArtsVote

AFTA Board Chair Kristina Newman-Scott in conversation with civic leader Julián Castro and iconic actress Molly Ringwald...
06/04/2026

AFTA Board Chair Kristina Newman-Scott in conversation with civic leader Julián Castro and iconic actress Molly Ringwald. NEA Chairman Mary Anne Carter. Sessions spanning the breadth of what arts and culture workers are facing — evolving technologies, threats to expression, new possibilities for collaboration and civic impact.

But the AFTACON 2026 energy didn’t stop there.

Conversations that turn into collaborations. An artist mercado full of makers and visionaries. Flamenco so percussive and alive you couldn’t walk away. Hands-on experiences that reminded us why we do this work.

The work happens in sessions, but the magic also happens when we’re in community together.

That’s what we’re taking home — new connections, renewed commitment, and ideas that won’t stay local for long.

Missed the mainstage? Every plenary is yours to watch, free, from wherever you are.

🔗 https://bit.ly/43bDpqp

06/04/2026

This is what it looks like when the arts field comes together.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. Arts administrators, educators, and advocates from across the U.S. — all in the same room.

From youth arts education to creative unions. From capital access for creative work to visionary leaders who center Indigenous knowledge systems. From AI ethics to artists as civic planners. From workforce pipelines to emergency preparedness.

This is why we’re here, shaping the future of arts and culture.

Whether you’re a policymaker, community leader, artist, or advocate — there’s a place for you in this work. Join our network. Shape what comes next. AmericansForTheArts.org

Watch all recordings, free, from wherever you are.

🔗 https://bit.ly/4u7TPLv

Every voice. Every community. One future for the arts.Albuquerque, New Mexico is not simply our host for AFTACON 2026 — ...
06/03/2026

Every voice. Every community. One future for the arts.

Albuquerque, New Mexico is not simply our host for AFTACON 2026 — it’s proof of what’s possible. This is a place where arts and culture aren’t an afterthought. They’re woven into everyday life, integrated into community, present at every crossroads.

AFTACON is where we gather to shape the future of arts and culture and organize for impact — extending far beyond four days in June.

Following Monday’s member reception, we officially opened the conference. Mayor Tim Keller recognized retiring Arts & Culture Director Dr. Shelle Sanchez, highlighting the city’s vibrant arts community. NM Cultural Affairs Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego and former Acoma Pueblo Governor Brian Vallo offered warm welcomes alongside AFTA’s CEO Erin Harkey.

Our opening plenary, Braiding Tradition and Innovation to Shape the Future, brought Jamie Bennett, Dr. Shelly Lowe, Dr. Ted Jojola, and Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore to the stage. Indigenous knowledge systems at the center of the conversation — not as a supplement, but as a foundation.

Can’t be in Albuquerque? The Opening Plenary is yours to watch, free, from wherever you are.

Watch all recordings: https://bit.ly/4o2vZPT

06/02/2026

Something shifts when the arts show up. Stronger communities, stronger economies, stronger connections across this country. Since 1960, Americans for the Arts has made sure the arts have a seat at the table, in every community — all the way to Washington.

This week, our mission comes alive in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We’re uniting 1,000+ artists, policymakers, and community leaders for four days of deep dives, incubators, and ARTventures. Together, we are organizing, inspiring, and shaping the future of arts and culture.

Follow along for the sights, sounds, and ideas emerging from 2026.

HBCUs have long shaped American culture — producing generations of artists, musicians, filmmakers, writers, and creative...
05/28/2026

HBCUs have long shaped American culture — producing generations of artists, musicians, filmmakers, writers, and creative leaders whose work defines the national story.

New bipartisan Senate legislation introduced by Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) and Senator Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) would help strengthen arts education and cultural programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities by expanding allowable uses of federal funding under the Higher Education Act. Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.) has introduced this legislation in the House.

“As a graduate of Howard University, I have seen how HBCUs foster artistic excellence and creative leadership,"" said Erin Harkey, CEO, Americans for the Arts

The HBCU Arts Act would support:
→ Arts education programs
→ Paid internships and apprenticeships
→ Student support services
→ Cultural preservation and Black art collections
→ Career pathways for emerging creative leaders

Investing in arts education means investing in the next generation of cultural leadership.

Read More 🔗 https://bit.ly/4315fpa

When San Diego proposed cutting 85% of local arts and cultural funding, it wasn’t just a budget decision. It was a state...
05/22/2026

When San Diego proposed cutting 85% of local arts and cultural funding, it wasn’t just a budget decision. It was a statement about what a city values — and who it’s willing to leave behind.

In a new San Diego Union-Tribune op-ed, Americans for the Arts CEO Erin Harkey and California for the Arts CEO Julie Baker are clear: the arts are not a line item you cut when times get hard. They are the infrastructure that keeps cities connected, economies moving, and communities whole.

“San Diego’s arts are not optional. They are essential. They are jobs, mental health support, and community infrastructure.”

San Diego isn’t alone. From local budget fights to federal threats against the National Endowment for the Arts and other cultural agencies, communities across the country are making the case that arts funding must be prioritized — from city halls to Congress.

Budgets are values. And right now, Americans for the Arts — alongside state and local partners — is making sure decision-makers know what’s at stake.

Ready to take action?
➡️ Get involved in your local community — show up, speak up, and make your voice heard
➡️ Tell your federal representatives to protect arts funding — 🔗 https://bit.ly/4uXN8MF
➡️ Hear more from Erin on the Prebys Foundation’s Stop & Talk podcast — 🔗 https://bit.ly/4eYeptR

Americans for the Arts Chief Programs Officer Ayanna Hudson joined host joni palmer on One Albuquerque Media’s Take Anot...
05/20/2026

Americans for the Arts Chief Programs Officer Ayanna Hudson joined host joni palmer on One Albuquerque Media’s Take Another Look to discuss her path to the arts, the vision behind AFTACON 2026, and what’s next for the field.

As arts leaders prepare to gather in Albuquerque this June, the conversation offers a deeper look at the ideas, relationships, and civic imagination shaping this year’s convening.

The conversation explores why convening matters, what creative leadership looks like right now, and how communities across the country are organizing for impact through arts and culture.

Listen now: https://bit.ly/4nCQi64

The arts belong in the 2026 election conversation.On May 26, Americans for the Arts and the Arts Action Fund are hosting...
05/18/2026

The arts belong in the 2026 election conversation.

On May 26, Americans for the Arts and the Arts Action Fund are hosting the next webinar in our ArtsVote series:

ArtsVote: Ask the Right Questions
Engaging Candidates in Your Community

Whether you’re an arts advocate, nonprofit leader, educator, or community organizer, this session will provide practical tools for engaging candidates safely, effectively, and nonpartisanly during election season.

Topics include:
→ Candidate questionnaires
→ Town halls and public forums
→ Hosting candidate events
→ Elevating arts issues in your community
→ 501(c)(3) election-year compliance

Because advocacy is a year-round activity — and every community deserves arts champions.

May 26 | 2:00–3:00pm ET

Register: https://bit.ly/4dd0nDl

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