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Executive Director’s Letter October 2, 2018

The rancorous political climate reminds us how important arts and humanities are to understanding ourselves, our culture, and one another. Let’s all draw attention to the ways in which we work together to create solutions and positive change for our communities.

October is National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM)—a coast-to-coast collective recognition of the importance of culture in America. NAHM was launched by Americans for the Arts more than 30 years ago as National Arts Week in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1993, it was reestablished by Americans for the Arts and national arts partners like GBCA as a month-long celebration, with goals of:

FOCUSING on the arts at local, state, and national levels;

ENCOURAGING individuals and organizations to participate in the arts;

ALLOWING governments and businesses to show their support of the arts; and

RAISING public awareness about the role the arts and humanities play in our communities and lives.

Join GBCA for NAHM!

  • October 29, GBCA Creative Conversation Happy Hour
    • A Creative Conversation gathers community leaders to discuss local arts, culture, and creativity to generate partnerships and increased energy around the grassroots movement to elevate the arts in America.
  • TBA GBCA Brown Bag Lunch
  • October 19, Urban Arts Leadership launch of Third Friday dialogues on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the cultural workplace.

Celebrate online!

Show Your Art is a social media campaign designed to engage arts advocates on local, state, and national levels, and to bring awareness of National Arts and Humanities Month to the public. Share images on Instagram using #ShowYourArt2018, and we'll repost some of our favorites throughout the month.

This year's campaign once again features a unique theme every day in October, including rural art, spoken word, arts & religion, dance, creativity at work, and so much more. Download the theme graphic here and please share widely on social media to challenge your friends and followers to join in the fun!

Have a great week!

Jeannie Howe

Become a Member

As a member of GBCA, you will not only gain access to wonderful benefits, but you will also become an active participant in a broader cultural community. Your organization and employees will directly benefit from opportunities to collaborate, connect, learn, network and share with your colleagues in the cultural community. Join our growing constituency of over 300 individual artists and organizations representing the region's extraordinary range of arts, culture, history, heritage, humanities, and attractions.

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