Media Campaign

I believe as a society we need to reconsider the value of the arts for our community and for our humanity. The arts have been with us since the beginning of time. We express our culture and history through the arts. It educates us and is a part of what makes us human.

The arts also have a positive impact on our economy, even in bleak times. People want to escape and get an emotional charge in these tough times, and the arts supplies this need. When people attend an arts event, they also tend to go out to eat or get a social drink before or after the show. This $28 average per person (more or less depending on your area) that goes back into our local economies can add up. However, since the loss of arts coverage, people do not know about where to go and what to attend. Many local arts organizations have been in existence for 30-50 years and people still don't know they exist.

With each day passing, many arts organizations are struggling to stay alive, some have gone under, and coverage is becoming bare bones. Some may view the arts as a luxury, but I say that the arts are a necessity in our lives due to all the benefits.

If you support the arts and know the value of the arts for your life, your children, for our culture and our humanity, please consider writing to your local newspaper and television station to ask for more coverage for the arts. Not only will it help the arts and our economy, but it will help the news become more balanced.

I live for the day that there are daily reviews of arts events, and I live for the day there is an artscast in every television news program. Sports have been the main focus. It's time the arts become a main focus too!

Shoshana Fanizza
Audience Development Specialists

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Become a part of the campaign:

A. Top talking points

1. The history of the arts
2. The positive economic impact
3. The fact arts are beneficial for humanity
4. The arts importance to your local community
5. The local benefits of the arts
6. What people spend their money on during tough economic times

B. Send a letter to the editor, letter to your local station, or go for an editorial!

United States Newspapers and News Media Guide

Thank you for being a part of this campaign!

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Sample letter I sent to the local media:

During these tough economic times, I have seen several news articles about arts organizations making budget cuts or going under. Being in the cultural arts industry as an audience development consultant, I am extremely saddened by this news. In the history of the arts, cultural arts events used to be received much like sports are today. The arts were in the news constantly, discussed thoroughly and were highly honored and valued.

In a workshop I was presenting, the words "I live for the day the news has an artscast similar to the sportscast..." came to fruition. Between the 19th and 21st Centuries, the arts has been put on the back burner. The arts are severely underfunded, under appreciated (reviews are being cut from newspapers across the nation), and under covered (there is no artscast).

In this day and age of wanting balanced news, wouldn't it be a great idea to have an artscast as a regular feature? The arts employ a fair percentage of our population and contribute to our economy in positive ways. On a national level, the arts generate $166 billion in economic activity and employs more than 5.7 million people. Artists and arts organizations fuel the economy in other ways such as supplying the creativity for the marketing efforts of other businesses. The arts also contribute to our humanity by expanding us spiritually, mentally and emotionally. There are documented educational benefits. Not to mention the fact that the arts are a big part of how we record our cultural history, what would we do without the arts?

According to John Villani, author of the travel book, "The 100 Best Art Towns in America," Boulder is ranked the sixth best art town in the nation for towns with populations between 30,000 and 100,000. Many artists and arts organizations are small businesses that have a direct, positive impact on their local communities. The arts make a community more interesting to live in, which is a valuable consideration for the people and the businesses that move here.

In the Denver/Boulder area alone, there are hundreds of arts organizations, not counting the several hundreds of artists that reside here. On a local level, the arts contribute to our economy at an average of around $28 per person each time a person goes to see an arts event (before and after food, drinks and social activities). This number adds up, and the more coverage the arts have, the more of an impact the arts can have for our local economy. In these times, people are cutting back, but most people continue to keep the arts in their lives so everything is not so dreary and hum drum. Remember what people spent their money on during the depression? Food and local entertainment!

People need the arts in these challenging times and the arts need people. I ask that 9News considers adding a regular artscast to support the arts. An artscast would make a positive statement that the arts are a major part of our community and deserve our support.