Session Ends With Arts Protected/55 Arts Organizations Oppose Amendment
MCA
Minnesota Citizens for the Arts
2233 University Ave. W. #355
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-251-0868 fax 651-917-3561
staff at mncitizensforthearts.org
May 14, 2012
1. Session Ends With Arts Protected
2. Fifty Five Arts Organizations Oppose Marriage Amendment
3. Join Arts Community United May 21, 6:00 PM for Kick Off
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1. Session Ends With Arts Protected
The legislative session has mercifully ended, with legislators heading home and starting to run for reelection. Usually in even-numbered years the legislature just does the bonding bill and other policy legislation and doesn’t revisit the budget unless there is a deficit. This year was distinguished in the number of proposals offered that would divert Legacy funding to other things. While we successfully defeated or delayed most of these proposals, it is clear that we will need to continue to keep on our toes.
MCA is already looking ahead to the upcoming appropriation session when two more years of decisions about arts funding will be made by a brand new legislature, starting January 2013. Big change is coming as 13 Senators and 12 Representatives announced their retirement, and 9 others in the House are running for the Senate. With inevitable election losses by some incumbants, there will be a huge number of new legislators in the Capitol next year.
All of the new faces will create an opportunity for us to educate new legislators about the importance of the arts – but also creates a problem because many great arts advocates are retiring this year, including, for example, Reps Marion Greene, Bill Hilty, and Senators Linda Higgins, Ken Kelash, Amy Koch, Keith Langseth, Geoff Michel and Gen Olson. I will do a longer article about their many contributions soon. In the meantime, we need to look to this election season as an opportunity to educate all of the new candidates for the legislature about the importance of the arts in the districts they are seeking to represent.
MCA will do a big Candidate Questionnaire this summer to guage the candidate’s support of arts issues, among other projects. Stay tuned!
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2. Fifty Five Arts Organizations Oppose Marriage Amendment
This morning at the Illusion Theatre 53 arts organizations (jumping up to 55 in the last two hours!) announced their opposition to the marriage amendment that will be on the ballot this November.
Close to 100 representatives of the arts coalition attended this morning’s press conference at the Illusion Theater. Among the many individual artists who say they are inspired to get involved was Dameun Strange, a Minneapolis composer and musician, who is now working for Minnesotans United as a community organizer in north Minneapolis.
“Here in Minnesota I have found artists who use art as a means or building community, healing wounds and bridging divides,” said Strange. “In recent years, in a world outside of the Arts, I feel a drift towards creating divisions, setting up walls, borders, and boundaries. I am witness to the fact that the arts community is one sector of Minnesota where the values of unity and acceptance are alive and well. Today this community of artists I love and respect are inspiring me again to step up and speak out against this constitutional amendment that seeks not to unite but to divide.
More coverage of what happened at the event can be found here: http://mnunited.org/news/minnesota-arts-community-launches-effort-to-defeat-marriage-amendment/
“The younger generation will be watching the decisions we make on this issue,” said Sheila Smith, MCA’s Executive Director “We have to ask ourselves, how will our children and grandchildren feel if we permanently single out a certain group of Minnesotans and take away their freedom?”
Join the coalition! The following 55 arts organizations along with hundreds of artitsts have endorsed the Minnesotans United for All Families Campaign against the amendment:
American Composers Forum, Anderson Center (Red Wing), Burton Art Studios (small business), Calliope Women’s Chorus, Children’s Theatre Company, Duluth Art Institute, Frank Theater, Guthrie Theater, Hennepin Theatre Trust, Hopewell North Music Cooperative, Illusion Theater, In the Heart of the Beast, Intermedia Arts, Jungle Theatre, James Sewell Ballet, Kate Sommers Photography (small business), Keane Sense of Rhythm, Inc Tap Dance, Loring Park Art Festival, Lunalux (small business), Minnesota Citizens for the Arts ,Minnesota Freedom Band, Minnesota Museum of American Art, Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra, Minnesota Playlist, Minnesota Theatre Alliance, Mixed Blood Theatre Company, The Moving Company, Mu Performing Arts, New Bohemian Artist Coop, One Voice Mixed Chorus, Open Eye Figure Theatre, Patrick’s Cabaret, Pillsbury House Theater, Playwright’s Center, Rebel Ink Printing (small business), Rox Minneapolis Jewelry (small business), Savage Umbrella, Skewed Visions, The Soap Factory, The Southern Theatre, Springboard for the Arts, Stages Theatre Company, Stuart Pimsler Dance Theater, The Suicide Commandos Punk Rock Band, Table Salt Productions, Ten Thousand Things Theater, Textile Center, Theatre Latte Da, Trellage-Ferrill Architecture & Art (small business), 20 Percent Theater Company, Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus, Twin Cities Musicians Union, Walker Art Center, White Bear Center for the Arts…and more to come!
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3. Join Arts Community United May 21, 6:00 PM for Kick Off:
Arts Community United!
Artists and Arts Organizations:
YOU ARE INVITED
To a Kick Off Arts Coalition Meeting
To oppose the marriage amendment
Monday, May 21, 6:00-7:30 PM
Pantages Theatre , 710 Hennepin Avenue, Mpls.
- Get an update on the campaign so far
- Hear about recent polling
- Hear from artists and arts organiztaions who have already taken action
- Be a part of the discussion about what happens next!
PLEASE RSVP TO: Laurel Wales, Regional Organizing Director, 651-757-5471 laurel@mnunited.org
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