According to recent reports, the Trump administration is planning to completely eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) (See “Trump Team Prepares Dramatic Cuts”). As ACASA members in the US know, many of our exhibitions and research projects could have happened only through funding by the NEA and the NEH. Relatively few people in the US are passionately concerned with the arts and humanities; relatively few understand the essential role of the arts and humanities in preserving a robust democracy and bridging cultural differences. Therefore the NEA and NEH could be easily eliminated if people do not speak out in their support, and as members of an African arts organization, you could make a big difference.
The Board of Directors of ACASA asks you to join us in contacting your elected representatives in the Senate and Congress. You can find the names and addresses of your senators here, and of your congressional representative here. When you contact your representatives, please let them know you are a member of ACASA, and that we are working with other organizations to advocate for continued public funding for the arts and humanities.
Networks to support artistic and scholarly freedom are now expanding. To join with this growing community of active artists, curators, teachers and researchers, please visit the National Humanities Alliance and Americans for the Arts. Only through collective action can we ensure continued public funds for creating and researching art in a free and open society.
