Arts Advocates Gather for Virtual Arts Advocacy Day on the Hill 2024
By Stephanie Conner, Middle TN Vice President, TFTA –
Arts Advocacy Day, 2024 is in the books! On March 6th, 2024, Tennesseans for the Arts held their annual arts advocacy day on the hill.
Held virtually for the fourth year, Bryce McDonald, TFTA President and Executive Director of the Cumberland County Playhouse, sees many benefits to this format. “While we miss being together in person, the virtual option enables more advocates across the state to join us and allows us to share more content. It also provides the opportunity for those who may have missed the actual day to watch on their own time and share the content with others.”
This year’s number of registrants was the highest on record and TFTA was thrilled to see watch parties taking place in various areas, bringing unprecedented numbers of participants.
Along with updates from Senator Becky Massey, Chair of the Legislative Arts Caucus; Kelly Barsdate, Chief Program and Planning Officer for the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies; TAC’s Anne Pope, and TFTA’s Molly Pratt, this year’s program featured artists and arts organizations who have proven records of advocacy and understand the role of advocacy in their work.
Spotlights included:
- Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group in Memphis
- The Arts Center of Cannon County in Woodbury
- Christian Collier, literary artist from Chattanooga
- Johnson County Center for the Arts in Mountain City
- Arrowmont School for Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg
This year’s theme, “Connecting Matters,” emphasized the importance of connecting with legislators and each other to tell the story of the license plate program and how vital the arts are to Tennessee communities.
Please connect with TFTA at www.tn4arts.org to access all things arts advocacy, from becoming a TFTA member to tools and graphics for your use. The video for Arts Advocacy Day 2024 will be up soon on the Tn4arts website on the advocacy page, under the Putting Advocacy Into Action section. Be sure to tune in if you didn’t get the chance on March 6th.
