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With all of the bailout money going to Wall Street and Detroit, it's about time that the generous politicians in Washington start to direct some of that money to the artist in America!

There's a new campaign afoot to get some of this new stimulus money into the schools to be used to hire artists. It's called "The National Campaign to Hire Artists to Work in Schools." Their message is simple:

~Promoting the use of federal jobs stimulus funds to hire artists to work in schools, community centers and social institutions ~

Specifically is the following:

An alliance of arts leaders and policymakers in San Francisco convened in early December to launch a National Campaign to promote the use of federal job stimulus funds to employ artists to work in public schools and community centers. The concept has been presented to the Obama-Biden Transition Team and to Speaker Nancy Pelosi for consideration under the new Administration's prodigious Jobs and Growth stimulus package.

As the President-Elect seeks a potent formula to give the economy a serious jolt in the current recession, artists of all stripes represent a cost-effective investment to bring their performing, visual, and technical talents to a variety of school, neighborhood, housing, health, corrections and community development settings.

The National Campaign's proposal draws on the historical precedents of Roosevelt's WPA jobs program and the national CETA Arts Program of the Ford-Carter years. The CETA Arts program was launched in San Francisco in 1975 and then rapidly spread across the country with the encouragement of the US Department of Labor, the National Endowment for the Arts, and many state and local arts agencies.

Particular leverage can be achieved by placing trained artists in public schools where the President-Elect's priority for educational improvement can be advanced while putting more people to work. As such, hiring artists can be a critical infrastructural investment that also contributes to social reform. Art forms like music, theater, dance, mural painting and poetry have demonstrated their ability to inspire students to delight in learning, and bring children of diverse economic and racial backgrounds onto collaborative common ground.

Jump on board, support this organization, and contact your representative...NOW! In addition, follow these suggestions from their site:

* Enthuse your local arts agency and Member of Congress that this is a splendid economic and educational us of the federal jobs stimulus funds. Reach them when they're home in the district for the holiday break.

* Join the Facebook or LinkedIn Groups for the "National Campaign to Hire Artists to Work in Schools," join in the lively discussion and encourage other artists, arts educators and advocates to join as well.

* Monitor policy developments, Cabinet and federal agency appointments by the new Obama Administration. See whom you may know on the House Education & Labor Committee or the Senate Health, Education, Labor, Pensions (HELP) Committees.

* Consider joining a delegation in Washington to visit the Obama Transition Team and Congress in January to express our point of view.

* Vote for our Campaign in the Idea contest for change.org, using button to your left.

* Learn how you can contribute financially to the Campaign. Write or call Michael Nolan
at mikeydavy@gmail.com or 415-282-9043.

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