The Score | Advocating for the Arts in Washington, D.C.

In March, hundreds of cultural leaders traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress from both political parties and make the case for federal support for the arts. The League of American Orchestras is a national co-sponsor of Arts Advocacy Day and part of the team that trained the advocates who gathered from across the country. Representatives from League-member orchestras nationwide met with their members of Congress to share their stories about the impact and transformative power of music, and to garner support for issues like arts education policy, the charitable tax deduction, and funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. With the Trump administration’s proposal to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and related programs, the work of arts representatives during Arts Advocacy Day took on new urgency. Congressional Arts Leadership Awardee Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) spoke to arts advocates before a day spent urging Congress to support the arts during national Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C.