News and Advocacy Updates

April 13, 2012 - Nominations for Governor's Awards are Open

2012-04-13T14:25:58Z

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts has announced that nominations are now being accepted for the 2012 Governor’s Awards for the Arts.

“Pennsylvania is most fortunate to have a vibrant arts and culture community. Governor Corbett and I are thrilled to continue the tradition of honoring our finest artists, arts patrons, and arts organizations,” said First Lady Susan Corbett, Chairwoman of the PA Council on the Arts.

Winners are chosen in four categories: The Distinguished Arts Award; the Patron Award; the Arts Leadership & Service/Innovations Award; and Artist of the Year.

Past recipients of the Distinguished Arts Award include Jimmy Stewart, John Updike, Marian Anderson, Andrew Wyeth, James Michener, August Wilson, Marilyn Horne, Fred Rogers, Michael Keaton, M. Night Shyamalan, Jeff Koons and Judith Jamison.

Nominations are open to the public and must be postmarked by April 27. The nomination guidelines and form are posted on the PCA’s website, www.pacouncilonthearts.org

The Governor’s Awards for the Arts will be presented on Sept. 20 in Erie. It marks the first time the awards ceremony will be held in the state’s Northwest region. In keeping with event tradition, the host community is named the “Cultural Capital of the Commonwealth” for the day of the event.

“This is a great opportunity to honor Pennsylvania’s artistic achievements and an equally great opportunity for the City of Erie and the Northwest region to celebrate the arts,” said Philip Horn, PCA executive director.

The Governor’s Awards for the Arts are paid for by private contributions. The event is administered by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency that works to foster the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state.

For more information contact Heather Doughty, 717-787-1517 or visit the website at http://www.pacouncilonthearts.org.

March 22, 2012 - Good editorial about arts education

2012-03-22T16:53:59Z

The following editorial appeared in the March 22, 2012 edition of the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2012/03/artistic_endeavors_arts_cant_f.html

Check it out!

March 5, 2010 - Did you know...

2012-03-05T19:10:52Z

There are 8,182,181 registered voters in Pennsylvania
4,126,786 are registered as Democrats
3,043,628 are registered as Republicans
534,506 voters have no party affiliation
477,261 voters are registered as Other
45-54 age group represents the largest voting block with 20% of all registered voters
Allegheny County has the largest number of voters in the 75+ age bracket with 103,745 registered voters
Philadelphia County has the largest number of voters in the 18-24 age bracket with 102,548 registered voters

March 5, 2012 - Voter Registration Deadline is March 26

2012-03-05T18:51:09Z

The voter registration deadline to vote in Pennsylvania’s April 24 primary is Monday, March 26, 2012. You can register to vote by downloading the mail-in application here. For more information about the voting process in Pennsylvania, you can visit the PA Dept. of State’s VotesPA website.

February 27, 2012 - Have you written your e-mails of support yet?

2012-02-27T18:29:04Z

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is conducting hearings on Governor Corbett’s budget recommendations. As you may remember, earlier this month, Gov. Corbett recommended level funding for both arts grants and administration for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA). We, at Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania, have asked you to write your legislators in support of Governor Corbett’s recommendations. We’ve set up templates on our Legislative Action Center at http://capwiz.com/artsusa/pa. It won’t take you more than two minutes to complete. Please send those e-mails today!

Feb. 14, 2012 - President's Budget Includes Increase for NEA

2012-02-14T18:09:24Z

President Obama transmitted his FY 2013 Request to Congress yesterday with a proposed increase for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) of $8 million over last year’s final budget of $146 million. The request would bring FY13 funding to $154 million. According to the NEA website, “This figure also proposes an increast of $6.7 million for the NEA’s grantmaking over the FY 2012 enacted budget, of which $2.7 million would go specifically toward state arts agencies and regional arts organizations and $4 million would go directloy to not-for-profit arts organizations across the county.” More information can be found on the NEA website.

Feb. 9, 2012 U.S. Congress approves legislation about musical instruments

2012-02-09T21:01:09Z

The U. S. Congress has approved the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Included in the reauthorization is a provision that standardizes policies for the carry on of musical instruments throughout the airline industry. The FAA reauthorization was passed by the House of Representatives on Friday, February 3 by a 248-169 vote. It subsequently passed the Senate on Monday, February 6, 75-20. The President is expected to sign the bill into law.

Action Alert - Contact Your Legislators in Support of Gov. Corbett's Recommendations for the Arts

2012-02-08T14:49:03Z

On February 7, 2012 to a joint session of the PA General Assembly, Gov. Tom Corbett delived his budget address. The $27.1 billion budget includes a recommendation of $8.179 million for the Pennsylvania council on the Arts (PCA) grants to arts organizations as well as $886,000 for the PCA’s administrative line item. This funding recommendation is at the same level that was included in the final budget for FY 2011-12.

Governor Corbett continues to demonstrate his commitment to the arts with this budget. As an arts advocate, it is important that you contact Gov. Corbett to tell him that you support this recommendation. It is equally important for you to contact your legislators to ask them to include the Governor’s recommendations in their budget bill.

We have a window of 7-10 days to make these contacts. The fastest way to make contact is by sending an e-mail to your legislators and the Governor. Citizens for the Arts in PA has created a template for your use on our Legislative Action Center. We ask that you personalize the e-mail to reflect what is happening in your community or with your organization. We’re also asking you to forward our action alert to your board members, patrons, friends and family asking them to also contact their legislators in support of Gov. Corbett’s recommendations for the PCA. We need to act on this fast. Please send those e-mails today!

Feb. 6, 2012 - Governor Corbett To Address General Assembly on State Budget

2012-02-06T19:21:32Z

Governor Tom Corbett will make his budget address to a joint session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly tomorrow, February 6, at 11:30 AM. His address will be broadcast by PCNTV.com. Both the State Senate and the House have posted their budget hearing schedules online.

Pennsylvania Senate Budget Hearing Schedule - http://www.jakecorman.com/PDF/2012/budget-hearings-013012.pdf

Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ Budget Hearing Schedule - http://www.pahousegop.com/budgethrgsked.aspx

Citizens for the Arts in PA will send out an advocacy alert as soon as we know what Gov. Corbett has recommended for arts funding. Watch for our e-mail.

Jan. 24, 2012 - Erie Announced as Site for 2012 Governor's Awards for the Arts Ceremony

2012-01-24T15:15:46Z

On September 20, 2012, Erie will host the Governor’s Awards for the Arts, marking the first time the event has been held in northwest Pennsylvania. The Governor’s Awards is a celebration of arts in Pennsylvania inaugurated in 1980 by Governor Dick Thornburgh and continued by every Governor. The Awards represent the Commonwealth’s highest recognition for excellence in the arts and celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 2010.

Free and open to the public, the event will be held at the historic Warner Theater, 811 State Street, downtown Erie. The celebration will also include a showcase of community arts and a ticketed reception.

Two local organizations stepped forward to host the event for Erie: the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership and the Erie Downtown Arts and Cultural Coalition.

ERCGP President and CEO Barbara Chaffee said, “We are proud to be both the first host city for Governor Corbett and the first in this region. An event of this caliber showcases Erie’s cultural, natural, commercial, and social resources. It has the potential to draw visitors from every corner of Pennsylvania and adjoining regions.” Since 1980, there have been more than 160 Governor’s Awards recipients representing all artistic disciplines. The comprehensive categories reflect the excellence and variety of Pennsylvania’s cultural landscape and pay tribute to the Commonwealth’s rich cultural achievements and notable philanthropic traditions. Past recipients include: Actor Michael Keaton, Actor Jimmy Stewart, Comedian Bill Cosby, Author August Wilson, Pianist Lang Lang, Producer M. Night Shyamalan, Singer Patti LaBelle, The Ridgeway Chainsaw Carvers, Author Chaim Potok, Dancer LaVaughn Robinson and Sculptor Thaddeus Mosley.

In 2010, John Vanco, director of the Erie Art Museum, accepted the Creative Communities Award for his outstanding contributions to the vibrant cultural life of Erie and its surrounding regions.

Nominations will be open to the public in February; visit pacouncilonthearts.org for details. The Governor’s Awards for the Arts are administered by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency under the Office of the Governor, whose mission is to foster the excellence, diversity, and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania, and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state.

Local contributions support this event and related expenses. To make a contribution, contact Barbara Chaffee at 814-454-7191.