Leveraging Grantmaker Priorities With State & Local Elected Officials

Monday, October 30, 10:00am – 11:30am

Organized and moderated by Narric Rome, Vice President of Government Affairs, Americans for the Arts.

Presented by Brian Calley, Lieutenant Governor, State of Michigan; Representative from Office of the Mayor, City of Detroit; Shelley Taub, Commissioner, Oakland County Board of Commissioners (Michigan).

To advance the arts and arts education, Americans for the Arts (AftA) has built and sustained long-term strategic partnerships with various associations of public elected officials. In its work with these leadership bodies over the past twenty years, members have grappled with a varied portfolio of policy issues. Today, an increasing number of state and local government officials are recognizing and exploring how the arts can be part of the solution to the challenges their communities and constituencies face. AftA is currently partnering with lieutenant governors to expand the use of the arts in serving the health needs of active-duty military and veterans, with county officials to pursue arts-based rural economic development strategies, and with mayors on city arts funding and livability issues. This session will present three such officeholders, who will share their perspectives on their arts priorities and discuss how funders might better engage and collaborate with officials like them to realize shared goals.