Citizen of the Arts Award

In 1979 a group of citizens established an organization which was committed to promoting and advocating for the arts in Pennsylvania. That organization became Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania (Citizens). As Pennsylvania’s only statewide multi-disciplinary arts organization, Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania is uniquely positioned to speak out on behalf of the arts.  Citizens communicates the value and impact of the arts to decision makers in media, government, corporate, and philanthropic sectors and takes a stand on legislation and public policy that affect the arts.  The annual appropriation for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts are of prime concern to Citizens and are the focus of our advocacy efforts.

Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania works to create awareness of the important role that the arts play in education; in reduction of juvenile crime; in economic development, tourism, quality of life, and community revitalization. Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania reports to its members and non members alike research that substantiates the contributions of the arts in their communities, thereby advancing the development of a strong network of art supporters across Pennsylvania.

Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania is a 501(c)(3) organization.  Your charitable contributions to our organization are tax deductible.  We are also registered with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Charitable Organizations.

What We Do..

As a grassroots advocacy organization, Citizens works with constituents to help them reach out to their legislators on various issues.  We also

• Monitor public policy issues relating to arts and culture.  We also issue calls to action on legislation of interest.  Issues we monitored in 2012 included:
  • The state appropriation for both the administrative and grants line items for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
  • Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC)
  • The establishment of the PA Legislative Arts & Culture Caucus
  • The state appropriation for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museums Commission (PHMC)
  • The federal appropriation for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
  • The federal appropriation for Arts in Education programs through the U.S. Dept. of Education
  • Tax issues of relevance to arts and culture
• Organize events at the State Capitol in Harrisburg to highlight the importance of state arts funding.
• Provide training on how to communicate with public policy leaders through a series of workshops and provide easy communication tools for advocates to contact their legislators through our Legislative Action web page
• Communicate news about the arts, nonprofits and technology through The Citizen Online, our enewsletter.
• Act as the PA State Captain for Americans for the Arts advocacy campaigns.  We coordinate congressional appointments for the Pennsylvania delegation during National Arts Advocacy Day.