latest | December 10, 2023
NEA Funding once again Saved!
Earlier this month, the House of Representatives brought to the floor the FY’24 Interior appropriations bill with two floor amendments introduced by Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Scott Perry (PA-10) that would have eliminated all future funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Both amendments were soundly defeated in a bipartisan fashion with 100% support of Democrats and nearly 40% of Republicans voting against the amendments.
This victory is due, in no small part, to the hard work of arts advocates, like you, across the country. While more work needs to be done for the House to match the Senate's higher appropriations amount of $207 million each for the NEA and NEH for FY'24, this vote demonstrates the influence arts advocates have when united to support important federal arts and humanities programs.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, it is important to take a moment to thank the House Members who voted against these egregious amendments. These 292 House Members worked in a bipartisan fashion to protect arts funding and puts Congress on a path to match last year’s funding levels of $207 million each.
Please thank Members of Congress today who voted down these amendments on the House floor that would have eliminated NEA and NEH funding.
Event Brings Free Art Education
In March, Tombow USA and Art Supply Warehouse collaborated to bring free art education and demos to the general public in California at the third annual Arty Gras Event.
Tombow's Alana Yarbrough taught live demonstrations, and free interactive handlettering and watercolor demonstrations to the many attendees that visited their booth. Alana creates beautiful hand lettered notes of encouragement & hope in her free time, and was happy to show that anyone with enough practice and patience can create beautiful hand-lettering, and experience the joy of creating beautiful hand-lettered works of art should be shared with all.
$1 per Emoji
Gallery On The Go recently supported Youth Art Month in March with an Emoji Painting Party and donated $1 for every Emoji painting to DonorsChoose.org to buy art supplies for schools in need. They did a similar promotion last year and raised $500 allowing them to fund 5 classroom requests!
Founded in 2000 by a high school teacher in the Bronx, NY, DonorsChoose.org empowers public school teachers from across the country to request much-needed materials and experiences for their students.
Program to Earn School Supplies
The Prang Power Program empowers Educators by giving them free tools for the classroom.
Any educational institution can join and have their own account, including public and private schools, preschools, day cares, youth organizations, entire districts, school sites, and individual classroom teachers.
Earn points by turning in the UPC Codes from any Dixon, Ticonderoga, Prang, or DAS products and use them for valuable everyday school and art supplies for free.
Art Therapy Idea Wins Girl Scout an Award
Freudenthal Sales Group's Joyce McBriarty's daughter Erin (below) earned her Girl Scout Gold Award by coming up with a way to help families in her community by creating Project ArtBox, an idea to build an art 'library' and have an actual ArtBox containing supplies to benefit children and their families being treated at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, many of them staying at the Ronald McDonald House.
Erin has a goal that experiencing art will be a creative release for the children and families to de-stress during a very time of their lives.
See Erin's Presentation
Encouraging Youth in Zimbabwe
The Royal Talens Foundation, founded in 2015 by the Dutch company Royal Talens, believes that creative expression is essential for the development of every human being, and because of this it will contribute towards a better world, developing and supporting projects and initiatives worldwide that encourage people to never stop drawing and painting.
In April 2017, in a partnership with IMBS Zimbabwe, the Royal Talens Foundation will bring Art Up Zimbabwe, an art week with emphasis on encouraging Zimbabwean youth to explore and follow their dreams.
The main attraction of the week will be the making of a 700 m2 MURAL. Together with the graffiti artist duo Karsky & Beyond (Amsterdam), around 200 children will capture their dreams on a wall, and with the mural their artistic expression will become an inspiration for hundreds and thousands of community members in days to come.
Golden Artist Colors Help Art Teachers Hone Skills through Master Program
Last year, Golden Artist Colors partnered with the Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego Board of Cooperative Educational Services to offer a professional painting instruction course, the Master Teacher Program, for art teachers within the BOCES district. The program began in August and concluded in late October 2016 and it focused on helping teachers explore a range of painting media and techniques to reinforce or establish their individual voices.
Mark Golden, chief executive officer and founder of Golden Artist Colors, said the first Master Teacher Program was a “great success” and he expressed gratitude to DCMO BOCES for its support.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate with an art opening for these incredible local art teachers,” Golden said in the release.
Click here to read about one art teachers experience as a participant in the Masters Teacher Program.
Read more … Golden Artist Colors Help Art Teachers Hone Skills through Master Program
Bob Buchsbaum Honored by Americans For The Arts
Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading non-profit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, has announced that Bob Buchsbaum, Chief Executive Officer of Blick Art Materials, will receive the 2016 BCA Leadership Award. Presented by the Business Committee for the Arts (BCA), a division of Americans for the Arts, the annual award recognizes individuals for their extraordinary vision, leadership, and commitment to supporting the arts and for encouraging other businesses to follow their lead.
Buchsbaum, a member of the NAMTA Board of Directors, joined Blick in 1996 and successfully restructured the company. Blick has more than 70 retail stores across the country, selling art materials that cater to the full spectrum of artists. Over the past 15 years, Blick has made financial contributions of at least $475,000 a year to programs and organizations that support the arts and arts education.
“I am honored to be named BCA’s 2016 Leadership Award honoree, in recognition of Blick’s long history of advocating for and supporting the arts,” said Buchsbaum. “We look forward to continuing our support of the Arts Action Fund in creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate the arts.”
BCA Leadership award honorees are selected by the BCA Executive Board. Buchsbaum will receive his award at the BCA 10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts in America gala on October 5, 2016, a black-tie affair at the Loeb Boathouse in New York City’s Central Park.
You can read the full press release here: http://www.americansforthearts.org/news-room/press-releases/blick-art-materials-ceo-robert-buchsbaum-to-receive-bca-leadership-award-from-americans-for-the-arts
NAMTA Members Support Young Artists at MLK Art & Writing Awards
Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. this past January by recognizing a number of young artists in their school system by presenting them with Martin Luther King Art & Writing Awards.
Through NAMTA’s relationship with Cheryl Maney, Pre K-12 Visual Arts and Dance Curriculum Specialist from Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, BINDERS ART & FRAME had the opportunity to help make this event even more special.
Chad Cartwright (pictured), from Binders' Charlotte location, coordinated twelve awards for the recipients that included gift cards and art supplies, and was there to help present the students with the gift bags. NAMTA members STRATHMORE and SLS ARTS donated supplies for the gift bags, and NAMTA added an “Art Matters” T-shirt with a congratulatory note for each student. See more pictures
Read more … NAMTA Members Support Young Artists at MLK Art & Writing Awards
