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RECENT OP-EDS AND ARTICLES ON THE ARTS

• Arts Play a Major Role in Our Communities (The Register Citizen, Torrington, October 8)
• Gubernatorial Hopefuls All Agree on Arts and Culture (New Haven Register, October 18)
• Vote for Candidates Who Support the Arts (The Day, New London, October 26)
• Arts Supporters Vote for Those Who Support the Industry (New Times, Danbury, November 1)
• Connecticut Arts Alliance’s Nonpartisan Create the Vote CT Informs Gubernatorial Candidates of Value of the Arts (Republican American, Waterbury, November 2)

Over the past months, we’ve collected responses to six questions about arts and culture from each of the gubernatorial candidates. In the final weeks before Election Day, we’ve focused on the candidates’ responses to specific questions. The spotlight this week is on arts, private investment, and tourism.

The Candidates Agree that Investment in the Arts Generates More Private Money for Connecticut

The nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $80 million in revenue to local and state government. Yet the state recently allocated only $4.2 million for arts and culture in next year’s budget, which represents a 60% decrease since 2009.

CTV: Will you support increased state arts funding building on this return on investment? If so, at what level and from what funding source?

LAMONT: Connecticut is facing a major fiscal crisis, and the next governor is going to have to make many tough decisions. With this in mind, while I cannot commit to increasing arts funding for the next fiscal year, I will commit to not decreasing funding for the arts and will actively work with my own network and our leaders statewide to support the arts and communicate the aesthetic and real economic value of the arts and culture industry.

STEFANOWSKI: One of my priorities is to fund programs that will economically boost the state. Arts and Tourism plays a important role in creating such economic growth. Given that arts and culture generate $80 million in revenue on $4.2 million, I would consider increasing general appropriations for arts and culture but I would really like to work with the business industry and the Alliance to to bring private investment to help further promote your goal.

GRIEBEL: We face a daunting fiscal challenge in the next biennium that will put pressure on all state allocations. I also emphasize our prism of 200,000 net new private sector jobs by 2028 through which we’ll evaluate all decisions. Given that prism and that answer and without making commitments to specific amounts or sources, I’m confident that we will invest creatively and strategically in arts and culture organizations and initiatives throughout our four years of leadership.

CTV: Each year arts and cultural events attract 10 million attendees with 15% coming from outside the state and 59% of those tourists coming specifically for arts and culture. Beyond featuring arts and culture in marketing efforts, how would you further capitalize on the arts as a cornerstone to CT’s vital tourism industry?

LAMONT: There is an opportunity to grow the number of visitors from out of state who attend our arts and cultural events. I would work closely with the Offices of Culture and Tourism to promote Connecticut’s reputation as an arts and culture destination regionally and nationally. Local leaders know their communities, and I will work with the Connecticut Arts Alliance, the Connecticut Alliance for Arts Education, your communities and local leaders to have conversations with the artists, restaurateurs and other cultural entrepreneurs who can offer the best insights on how the state can support their work. I will be a governor that listens.

STEFANOWSKI: I believe our arts and culture should be part of every pitch made to businesses that are interested in investing and expanding to Connecticut. Today’s workforce is diverse and they are looking to live in communities that offer those diverse experiences.

GRIEBEL: We will work to engage leaders in the tourism industry and in arts and culture organizations to develop a comprehensive, integrated, and sustainable strategy that fully exploits these two key areas of strength in Connecticut.

Create the Vote CT is a nonpartisan public education campaign to raise awareness and support for the arts among voters and candidates running for public office.

Click to read the complete questionnaire responses from Ned Lamont, Oz Griebel, and Bob Stefanowski. Lamont has also published an additional policy statement on Investing in Arts and Culture. Griebel has published a Policy Plan that includes statements on Arts, Culture and Tourism.

Over the past months, we’ve collected responses to six questions about arts and culture from each of the gubernatorial candidates. In the next weeks, we’re going to focus on the candidates’ responses to specific questions. The spotlight this week is on education.

• Students with arts instruction are three times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, less likely to be absent, five times more likely to graduate, and 44% less likely to use drugs.
• Schools and employers rank a degree in the arts among the most significant indicators of a candidate’s creativity and innovation skills—and creativity is cited by employers as one of the top three traits most important to career success.

The candidates have agreed that arts contribute to a well-rounded education.

CTV: Do you support arts education as a statewide priority? If so, how will you champion arts education for our youth?

LAMONT: In an environment that is very focused on STEM education I believe that it is important to remember the incredible impact that the arts can have on young students. When I was a volunteer teacher at Harding High School the principal told me that she supported the arts because she believed that students need to find something that they excel at, and something that inspires them to come to school every day. As a young man, the arts gave me the confidence boost that I needed and I believe that they will do that for others as well.

I will champion arts education by working with local leaders, the private sector and the legislature to ensure that more of our young people and communities have access to arts education. Through my own visits as governor and by speaking out in support of diverse programming, I will help people across Connecticut recognize that the arts are interconnected to economic development and the well-being of our residents, helping people realize their value beyond the aesthetic.

STEFANOWSKI: The expression of art, and our cultural stores are fundamental development tools for our children. I believe that it is imperative that school funding to our municipalities and schools remain intact so art and cultural programs may remain in place.

GRIEBEL: Arts education is a major contributor to the development of critical thinking skills in our K-12 students. The Griebel-Frank administration will certainly be a vocal champion of arts education, whether delivered by public or private schools or by independent arts organizations such as our museums, theaters, and universities. Given the projected fiscal challenges in the FY’20 and FY’21 budget, our Administration will have to work closely with arts and culture organizations and their funders to ensure that whatever State funds are available are leveraged to the maximum extent possible.

Create the Vote CT is a nonpartisan public education campaign to raise awareness and support for the arts among voters and candidates running for public office.

Click to read the complete responses from Ned Lamont, Oz Griebel, and Bob Stefanowski. Lamont has also published an additional policy statement on Investing in Arts and Culture. Griebel has published a Policy Plan that includes statements on Arts, Culture and Tourism.

In an election-year effort to draw attention to the importance of arts and culture to the state’s economy and welfare, the Connecticut Arts Alliance (CAA) and Connecticut Alliance for Arts Education (CAAE) have announced the launch of a campaign to “Create the Vote” in this year’s gubernatorial and other elections. All voters are encouraged to join the effort by signing up for the Create The Vote CT email list, talking to the candidates about arts and culture, and considering candidates’ platforms when they vote.

Elections are a time when candidates and voters debate the strengths and challenges of their communities. While arts and culture play a significant role in state and local economies, educational systems, and in the vibrancy of neighborhoods and downtowns, candidates often do not include arts and culture as part of their platforms or vision. Seeing the need to make the arts part of the discussion, CAA and CAAE have launched Create the Vote CT to raise awareness and support for the value of arts and culture. The project is modeled on a program first organized by MASSCreative in Massachusetts in 2013, which has grown each year since and has influenced both statewide and local elections in over forty cities throughout that state.

Create the Vote CT is a nonpartisan public education campaign led by arts organizations and regional arts councils throughout the state. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the ways that arts and creative expression improve schools, strengthen local business districts, and build vibrant neighborhoods in which people want to live, visit, work, and play.

During the Create the Vote CT campaign, CAA and CAAE will share with voters the responses candidates give to a questionnaire about arts and culture. Leaders of the Alliance organizations will also meet with candidates, and will host a candidate forum which will be open to the public.

“Expanding the political conversations this election season to include arts and culture is part of our effort,” explained Amy Wynn, President of CAA (and Executive Director of the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council). “Expanding who participates in that conversation is equally important.  As working artists, arts leaders, and arts supporters, we are not sitting this election out.  Create the Vote is going to help us all dive in.”

“As an organization representing arts educators,” said CAAE Chief Operating Office Dr. Jeffrey Spector, “we are especially interested in governmental and community support for arts education, and ways that we can create teaching and learning environments in which arts educators are a recognized, respected, widely sought-after, and wisely used resource in every school building.”

All interested voters and arts supporters can follow the Create The Vote CT campaign on this site and are urged to get involved by signing up for the Create The Vote CT email list, following the Connecticut Arts Alliance on Facebook (Facebook.com/ctartsalliance) and Twitter (twitter.com/CT_ArtsAlliance), and helping to promote the campaign with the hashtag #CreateTheVoteCT.

Click here to learn more about Create the Vote CT, to sign up for email updates, or to become an organizational co-sponsor.

This is a gubernatorial election year in Connecticut, and elections are a great time to talk about the strengths and challenges our state faces and the vision for our community. While candidates spend lots of time talking about jobs, the economy, and education, they rarely talk about arts and culture as part of their vision. Seeing the need to make arts and creativity part of the discussion, Connecticut Arts Alliance (CAA) and the Connecticut Alliance for Arts Education (CAAE) are launching Create the Vote CT.

Create the Vote CT is a nonpartisan public education campaign to raise awareness and support for the arts among voters and candidates running for public office.

Create the Vote logosThe campaign was established by arts, cultural, and creative institutions and leaders. Organizations, businesses, and individuals are welcome to join the effort to raise arts and culture in the conversation around elections.

Click here to learn more about Create the Vote CT, to sign up for email updates, or to become an organizational co-sponsor.