AMTA Advocacy Events

2020 Arts Advocacy Day

2021 Arts Advocacy Day

2020 Arts Advocacy Day

Arts Advocacy Day (AAD) and the National Arts Action Summit is an event hosted each spring by Americans for the Arts and co-sponsored by more than 85 national organizations focused on increasing access to the arts through grassroots representation on Capitol Hill. AMTA has served as a national partner for AAD for over 20 years and actively participates as a member of the Legislative Planning Committee (LPC).  The LPC meets regularly for five months planning and preparing “talking points” on important issues for AAD attendees to share with their Members of Congress. 

For the past several years, AMTA has served as chair of the LPC Arts in Health and Arts and the Military Subcommittee, which develops Issue Briefs for these topic areas as well as a Field-at-a-Glance related research document. Working with leaders from other creative arts therapies associations and artist organizations interested in healthcare and the military, specific “asks” for Congress are generated, along with background information and rationales for each request. 

AMTA Government Relations staff serve as part of the AAD speaker panel, which presents details about Issue Briefs to attendees. Most years, AMTA staff also present this information during a Capitol Hill Briefing that the LPC provides for the House of Representatives Congressional Arts Caucus staff.

AAD includes several opportunities to learn about advocacy, not only through a full day of trainings, but also through the Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy at the Kennedy Center and a Congressional Arts Breakfast with Members of Congress. As a national partner, AMTA also contributes a letter to Congress, which is included in the AAD handbook. Active involvement in Arts Advocacy Day is just one of the many ways AMTA represents the music therapy profession with federal legislators and agency administrators.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Summit moved to a virtual event in 2020 and will presented virtually again in 2021.

2021 Arts Advocacy Day

The National Arts Action Summit will convene digitally from April 5-9, 2021.

Find additional information about 2021 Arts Advocacy Day - HERE

Representation of music therapy during this national event is a great example of how AMTA works to increase awareness of the profession with Congress and with related organizations.