The 2019 Arts Advocacy Day, hosted by Americans for the Arts brought together more than 600 activists on Capitol Hill to do one thing: tell congress to save the National Endowment for the Arts. Arts Advocacy Day was a remarkable experience that provided a first-hand look into how the arts can be used to inform and shape policy. More than 600 artists, activists, arts managers, students, and educators came together from across the country to lend their voices in what has become

As a $730 billion industry, arts and culture are not only a backbone to our society and humanity, but fundamental to our economy. In Ohio alone, we see that over 90,000 people are employed by the arts, spanning all corners of the state. Although art itself can stand on its own, the industry and opportunities for access and participation depend on the work and advocacy of people both in and outside of it. In advocacy, the semi-cringeworthy saying, “the squeaky wheel gets the o