ARTS Day in North Carolina this year presented the opportunity for Elon students and faculty to appeal to legislators for support for the arts.
A shift in the timing of the annual ARTS Day in North Carolina presented an opportunity for Elon students and faculty members to partner with community organizations and advocate for arts funding.
Typically held during the summer, this year ARTS Day — an annual statewide arts advocacy effort — was held in the spring. With Elon students on campus, the change in timing meant they were able to help tell the story of how arts can impact communities, and the role that the arts had played in their lives, said Wen Guo, assistant professor of arts administration.
Working with Alamance Arts and its director, Brandon Bruce, Guo and students in her Arts Admnistration Senior Seminar set up meetings with local legislators to make their pitch for state financial support for arts education as well as initiatives such as the Restart the Arts Grants program, a two-year, $8 million grant program to support arts nonprofits as they emerge from the pandemic.
“We know that the arts industry has been hit particularly hard during the pandemic, with so many venues closed and health and safety restrictions preventing many gatherings,” Guo said. “Most community-based arts organizations rely heavily on public funding, particularly during this moment of crisis when they don’t have ticket sales. It’s a survival issue.”
Organized by Arts North Carolina, a nonprofits arts advocacy organization, ARTS Day saw performers, artists, arts administrators, patrons of the arts, students, community leaders and people from a variety of sectors setting up meetings with state representatives and senators to make their cases.
Elon students are in a unique position to be advocates because they can speak to the impact that the arts have had on their personal and academic lives, and point to the role that the arts have played in bringing them to Elon, and either keeping them or bringing them to North Carolina. “They are wonderful representatives of the benefits of arts education,” Guo said.
Among them was Katy Brnjac ’21, who is majoring in arts administration and music theatre. Originally from St. Louis, Brnjac became more interested in advocating for the arts through her courses and work with Guo and David McGraw, assistant professor of arts administration. ARTS Day presented the chance for her to talk with Rep. Ricky Hurtado and Sen. Amy Galey, both newly elected legislators from Alamance County.
“It is important now more than ever considering the challenges the industry is undergoing,” Brnjac said. “Art brings life and happiness to our lives. Being able to foster that in children helps them build skill through arts education that will serve them throughout their lives.”
Brnjac said arts education was a main focus for her, particularly with the legislature now considering a bill that would dedicate $9.6 million to the area. She found Hurtado and Galey to be receptive to the arguments that were being made for financial support for the arts.
“It was heartening to know that for the most part, people seem to be on the same page,” Brnjack said. “It’s always nice to feel that your voice is being heard.”
Beyond the immediate impact of these advocacy efforts, participating in efforts like ARTS Day helps Elon students develop skills they will carry with them as they pursue careers in the arts, Guo said.
“It will be an important part of their careers,” Guo said. “As arts administration students, we expect them to become arts leaders within their organizations and within their communities. Being an advocate will become part of their daily job.”