It may not be news that this year heralds significant change for many in our international community. However, the ways in which the sector can respond and advocate for the arts and culture sector in times of change have been making headlines.
In the USA, following reports of possible cuts to federal funding for the arts and humanities, Americans for the Arts CEO Robert Lynch has issued an open letter outlining practical actions the sector can take in response, and re-released rebuttals to inaccurate arguments against the National Endowment for the Arts, originally formulated by the Heritage Foundation. Meanwhile in the UK, departing Chair of Arts Council England Peter Bazalgette has offered his perspective on the importance of well-rounded arguments when advocating for the arts and culture, and released a new book that argues for arts and popular culture as a means to foster empathy. In addition, following sector advocacy the UK Government has announced that the creative industries will be among five key areas considered in its forthcoming Industrial Strategy, which will guide the future of the country.
Looking beyond national contexts, the Centre for the Study of Political Change at the University of Siena has released its publication Cultural Diplomacy as Discipline and Practice: concepts, training and skills, which highlights the role of cultural diplomacy in international relations and foreign policy, and reports on training and research activities that can prepare cultural diplomats of the future. Med Culture are also calling for participants for their upcoming training for trainers programme, which will focus on advocacy for culture.
You can find more information about the value of the arts and advocacy via our Themes portal, or by searching the full site at ifacca.org. There are undoubtedly more news items, resources and examples of effective advocacy out there; if you have information that you would like to share with the IFACCA network, send the details to [email protected].
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