As executive director of Tippecanoe Arts Federation, Tetia Lee will be among the many arts leaders from all over the state making their presence felt at the Indiana Capitol today.
Arts Advocacy Day showcases the importance and impact the arts have on Hoosiers.
Lee will help legislators understand what has been accomplished and what benefits the arts give Greater Lafayette.
"The arts in Greater Lafayette saw a lot of forward progress," Lee said. "There was a tremendous amount of collaborative programs done by multiple arts organizations in 2011. Groups came together to work towards similar goals utilizing one another's expertise. This was impressive to experience."
In times of budget cuts, Arts Advocacy Day is one of the most important days on Lee's calendar.
Question: What issues will you be promoting at Arts Advocacy Day?
Answer: The focus of our message centers on three specific items.
One, we are thanking legislators for their support of the arts this past legislative cycle. While other states reduced or dissolved (Kansas) their funding to the arts, we maintained the same level of support in the state of Indiana.
Two, arts and economic development. As of January 2011, Indiana is home to 11,404 arts-related businesses that employ 47,083 people. The creative industries account for 3.25 percent of the 350,549 total businesses located in Indiana and 1.65 percent of the 2,851,504 total people they employ.
Three, arts education is a vital component of a well-rounded curriculum and should be a part of a school day.
The arts are a critical element of why some children stay in school. Education funding must include consideration for the preservation of existing fine arts programs. The creativity of our children is a national resource we cannot afford to waste.
Children need fine arts educational experiences that empower the imagination and enhance the capacity for creativity and invention.
There are three basic skills children need if they want to thrive in the knowledge economy: the ability to communicate effectively; the ability to collaborate, and the ability to do critical thinking and creative problem-solving. One cannot make the claim that quality, world-class educational experiences are being provided for Hoosier school children if subjects and programs specifically designed to foster creative problem solving are removed from the curricula. Fine arts education experiences are critical for a well-rounded education. Students thrive in schools where art and music are present in the curriculum. We know that children thrive in schools that provide regular quality fine arts experiences.
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Q: Who will be joining you?
A: Individuals who are arts advocates: educators, representatives of arts organizations (both staffs and boards), business owners ... community members who share the understanding that the arts are integral part of society.
Q: What were some examples of good arts news in 2011?
A: The Art Museum of Greater Lafayette had a wonderfully successful endowment campaign, which indicates the boards invigorated efforts to sustain this local treasure for generations to come.
A number of arts organizations including TAF, worked to broaden the scope of their art programming thereby growing the audience base from local to regionally based.
As the economy remained sluggish, we saw many arts, music and performing arts being reduced or cut entirely from school curriculum. As a result, the demand for supplemental arts programming rose to record highs.
Nearly all of the arts organizations felt this increase in demand for services. Because of private support from foundations, businesses and individuals, we were able to provide this much needed arts education to our constituents in both urban and rural environments.
As a result of efforts by the Arts and Education Subcommittee of the Cultural Plan, we were able to launch Arts Connection. Arts Connection helps to link educators with affordable resources in the form of arts organizations. Many of the programs are offered at no cost and literally take the programs out to the schools or community centers.
Q: How is the Lafayette and West Lafayette Cultural Plan coming along? Is there much more work to be done?
A: The Cultural Plan is moving along very well. Beginning our third year of implementation, we have already seen many accomplishments.
The plan is a living document; in order to enact the items successfully, we must continually reference the document and make certain there are means in place to maintain and grow programming and accessibility to the arts. Essentially, even after we have accomplished a goal or strategy we must still provide for its sustainability.
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There are still items that we have not yet actualized. We are currently in the process of researching and developing examples of best practices for execution of these goals. More to come.
Q: What goals do you have for 2012 for the arts in Greater Lafayette?
A: Continue the work that we have been doing as it relates to the goals and strategies of the Cultural Plan. There are many, such as the establishment of the cultural district and providing a more inclusive range of informal arts and cultural experiences for children, teens and young adults that have been implemented. As we look at 2012, we want to make sure that these items are sustained and continue to grow.
Additional goals include formalizing the joint public art committee for Greater Lafayette. We applaud the municipalities' support of the arts as a vital component of what makes up a community. Recognized in the strategic plans of both cities and the county, we look forward to this borderless pursuit of community beautification and elevation of quality of life.
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