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Regular Session, 2010
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 26
BY SENATOR CROWE
COMMENDATIONS. Commends and honors Americans for the Arts on the occasion of
its 50
th
Anniversary.
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON1
To commend and honor Americans for the Arts on the occasion of its 50
th
Anniversary.2
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for3
advancing the arts and arts education in America; and4
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local5
communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate6
all forms of the arts; and7
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts was founded in 1960, and was originally called8
the Community Arts Councils, Inc (CACI); later in 1964, CACI adopted a new name, the9
Arts Councils of America (ACA); and finally, Americans for the Arts was created in 199610
as a result of the merger between the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies (NALAA)11
and the American Council for the Arts (ACA), one of a small number of successful unions12
between two national nonprofit groups; and 13
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch has led the14
organization since the merger, expanding Americans for the Arts' annual budget from three15
million in 1996 to thirteen million in 2009; and16
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts played a central roll in the formation and17
establishment of the National Endowment for the Arts in 1965; and18 SCR NO. 26
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WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts provides leadership and training to local public1
and nonprofit arts agencies, arts and business councils, business committees for the arts,2
state arts agencies, state arts advocacy organizations, and community based cultural3
organizations across the country in helping their numbers increase and grow from fifty to4
five thousand; and5
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts produces annual events that heighten national6
visibility for the arts and arts education, including but not limited to Arts Advocacy Day in7
Washington, D.C., the Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy, the National Arts8
Awards, and the Public Leadership in the Arts Awards; and9
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts enjoys a strong partnership with the National10
Lieutenant Governors Association as four years ago the two organizations jointly began11
awarding the prestigious Public Leadership in the Arts Awards; and12
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts continues to produce groundbreaking research13
on the size and economic impact of the nonprofit arts industry through its series on "Arts and14
Economic Prosperity," which reports that approximately 100,000 nonprofit cultural15
organizations generate $166.2 billion in economic activity every year supporting 5.7 million16
jobs and generating $29.6 billion in government revenue; and17
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts understands the complex ecosystem of support18
for the arts and has expanded its leadership, advocacy, and training to also promote private19
sector support of the arts as well as professional development in state-of-the-art earned20
income techniques at its National Arts Marketing Project Conference; and21
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts brings together the arts policy interests of all its22
national partners, including the National Lieutenant Governors Association, the Conference23
Board, and the American Association of School Administrators, at its National Arts Policy24
Roundtable, which is co-convened by Robert Redford at the Sundance Preserve; and25
WHEREAS, Americans for the Arts has been a leader in promoting active26
participation in arts education both in and out-of-school through its professional27
development work and national visibility PSA campaigns, "The Arts, Ask for More."28
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana hereby29
congratulates and honors Americans for the Arts on fifty years of service in promoting arts30 SCR NO. 26
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and arts education throughout the United States of America. 1
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the2
Americans for the Arts.3
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Tammy Crain Waldrop.
DIGEST
Crowe SCR No. 26
Commends and honors Americans for the Arts on the occasion of its 50
th
Anniversary.