Guest post by Helena Thevenot

This past Monday afternoon, the Cultural Affairs Council Chairman, Adolfo Henriques delivered the 2010 State of the Arts in Miami-Dade County address. The televised event reached a well-attended chamber of County Commissioners, cultural groups and arts organizations, members of the Cultural Affairs Council and various community leaders. Henriques’ message was clear: “unified we are going to make a difference.” The Chairman focused on the heroic collective effort that restored 85% of last year’s funding budget. He predicted a challenging budget season ahead and he called for continued action. Advocating for the arts demands a well articulated, meaningful policy . Restoring arts funding after the budget cuts this year, Miami validated the contribution of the arts to local economic growth and quality of life. It has been in this climate of adaptation and reflection that recent alliances review the public function of the arts only to assert the integral role of the arts in building a great community. In his speech, Henriques fired off a list of identified benefits and rewards generated by vibrant arts industries such as: “revitalizing neighborhoods, a better education for our children, a more sophisticated workforce, a destination more competitive for tourism and business, and a place that we can proudly call home.”

In response, the actions to rescue and sustain Miami’s Arts Industry, Miami arts groups have re-structured, as well as, formed novel alliances that involve various sectors representative of the cultural and economic community and in partnerships with city officials. It takes a village to ratify an alternative arts policy.

Shaped by new partnerships, Miami has gained national recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts for its enterprise: the county was awarded the maximum sum through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and by held up as a model for the rest of the nation. According to Henriques, the NEA’s newly appointed Chairman, Rocco Landesman, told him that Miami has been chosen as a first site visit for Art Works.

What makes Miami-Dade County a model for the rest of the country is the remarkable partnership between Miami’s arts community, the County Commission, other civic agencies, and local business interests.

Here are five ways suggested by the Cultural Arts Council that you can do your part to help maintain critical arts funding:

1 First – and Most Importantly. Write, call or visit your County Commissioner and the Mayor now. Thank them for their support, use some of the facts above and let them know what the arts mean to your family, your business or organization and your neighborhood. Go to www.miamidade.gov for contact information. 2. Join the Arts Action Alliance and the Florida Cultural Alliance. You will receive alerts on important cultural issues. 3. Write a letter to the editor. Make it personal – tell a story about why the arts are important to you. 4. Support the arts. Buy a ticket, make a contribution, join an arts board. 5. Use the information in this Fact Sheet to spread the word to your friends, family and coworkers about the tangible benefits of support for the arts. Urge them to do all of the above!