Alliances, Advocacy & Policy
Whether you’re an artist, cultural organization, or community leader, our networks offer a platform for growth, learning, and shared success.
Jump to
Western Arts Advocacy Network Strategic Planning
The Western Arts Advocacy Network (WAAN) held its second in-person retreat in September, in Missoula, Montana. Leaders from statewide arts advocacy groups and key advocates convened to develop regional priorities for a federal arts agenda and prepare for the 2025 Creative West Arts Leadership and Advocacy Seminar.
The retreat included community engagement and presentations by experts such as Aspen and Cameron Decker, Kendra Kloster (MMIWG2S Alaska Working Group), and Dr. Amanda Weinstein, among others. This gathering reinforced WAAN’s mission to strengthen advocacy and drive innovative arts solutions across the West.
Creative Vitality Summit
The 2024 Creative Vitality™ Summit successfully took place on Tuesday, April 9, and Wednesday, April 10. This dynamic event was made possible through the partnership between MUD Foundation, an organization focused on art and extended reality, the design studio rootoftwo, and WESTAF.
Spanning two days and featuring five engaging sessions, the summit brought together participants for meaningful discussions on topics such as creative economy policymaking within the WESTAF region, the intersection of arts and technology, advancements in extended reality, the implications of artificial intelligence, and more.
Hosted virtually and live-streamed from Boulder, Colorado, this year’s event offered accessibility and thoughtful discourse from a range of voices across industries. Registration was made available prior to the event, with additional updates and details shared in the lead-up to the summit.
The Creative Vitality™ Summit reinforced its role as a platform for innovation and collaboration, fostering vital conversations at the nexus of creativity, policy, and technology.
Arts Leadership and Advocacy Seminar (Virtual)
The Arts Leadership and Advocacy Seminar (ALAS) returned in 2024 as a dynamic virtual webinar series. The program offered a rich blend of learning opportunities, practical strategies, and knowledge sharing, connecting participants with thought leaders from across the public policy and advocacy sectors.
The series took a thoughtful exploration into the diverse landscape of arts and culture advocacy and policy. Expert-led sessions provided participants with innovative strategies, actionable insights, and practical tools tailored to empower both seasoned professionals and newcomers in the arts sector.
Through these sessions, attendees gained new perspectives on advancing arts and culture advocacy while building connections with fellow advocates. The virtual format ensured broad accessibility, enabling participants from various regions and backgrounds to engage with the content and collaborate meaningfully.
Regional Engagement
Over 440 Meetings with State Partners
Creative West has also maintained significant engagement with our state arts agencies partners by connecting with executive directors, staff, and council members/commissioners. In FY24, we conducted 193 meetings and engagements with state arts agency colleagues. We also conducted 248 meetings with citizen advocacy groups and lobbyists in our region. Taken together, we conducted over 440 meetings with state partners (state jurisdictional arts agencies, advocacy groups, and lobbyists) in FY24.
18 Technical Assistance and Consulting Engagements
We conducted 18 technical assistance and consulting engagements of various types with state arts agencies and other state government partners, which include the following:
- Alaska: Alaska Cultural Trust Strategy
- Arizona: Executive Director Search and Transition Support
- California: Greater Bay Area Coalition Arts and Culture Advocacy Coalition
- California: CA for the Arts Strategic Planning (led by Scansion)
- California: California Creative Economy Work Group
- California: Nevada County Arts and Culture Action Plan (led by Scansion)
- California: Evaluation of Arts in California Parks Program
- California: CA for the Arts Grassroots Artist Advocacy Program (led by CA for the Arts)
- Hawaiʻi: Legislative Strategy/Legislative Testimony Review
- New Mexico: Creative New Mexico Legislative Planning
- New Mexico: Creative Caucus Planning
- Oregon: Oregon Arts and Culture Caucus Liaison support and consultation
- Washington: Washington Creative Economy Strategic Plan
- Washington: Arts4All Strategic Planning
- Washington: Seattle Creative Economy Research (led by Uncommon Bridges)
- Wyoming: Wyoming Data Roundup/Creative Economy Plan advisory support (led by Wyoming Arts Alliance)
Advocacy for the Arts
18 Years of Advocacy for the Arts
For eighteen years, Creative West has provided funding to each state in the region to support creative sector advocacy. This funding helps maintain a stable arts ecosystem in the West by supporting advocacy initiatives in collaboration with state arts advocacy organizations. Grants ranging from $10,000 to $35,000 are awarded for a variety of activities, including professional lobbying contracts, arts advocacy days and summits, capacity building and training, special projects (such as research studies), advocacy-related travel, and technology investments like public affairs software and databases.
2024 Advocacy Grant Key Metrics
2024 Advocacy Trends
(Based on FY24 Advocacy Fund Final Reports)