arts secretary petition passes 100,000
In less than two months, the petition asking President-elect Barack Obama to name a secretary of the arts to his cabinet now has more than 100,000 signees and continues to grow at an incredible rate.
The petition was created by Jaime Austria, who plays bass for the New York City Opera and the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra, after he heard Quincy saying he plans to ask President-elect Barack Obama to create a secretary of the arts position on a podcast of WNYC’s Soundcheck. That podcast was sent to Austria by his friend, fellow bass player, Peter Weitzner.
With all the media attention surrounding the petition, both Austria and Weitzner are fielding interview requests from a number of outlets in the U.S. and abroad, including the Irish Times and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.
As Austria wrote in a message to us this morning, “This has gone global!” He also noted that the representative from the latter outlet signed her letter, “a country with a secretary of arts.”
Stay tuned.
This IS a good idea. But there is a problem no one seems to be considering.
Specifically, I’d like to know where the funds to pay for this new National Secretary’s expenses (salary, staff, and overhead) would come from. [I’d endorse eliminating two or three of any fat-cat legislator’s staff to pay for an Arts Secretary.]
Proposing to create new spending – TODAY OF ALL TIMES – requires that we are clear about where the money comes from.
Thank you for posting this.
Craig Rosen has been and continues to be an important part of this campaign. I’ve referred so many people who doubted the “legitimacy” of the petition to the articles Craig Rosen posted in this website.
Quincy is so fortunate to have Craig on his team.
ThanQs a musical THRILLion!
THANK YOU!
As an artist, I have experienced thru various art communities and artistic experiences in America vs. my travels and artistic experiences in Europe.
I have noticed in being abroad art and artistic endeavors are viewed and accepted as a legitimate career, a legitimate field of choice and supported. I also noticed the artist artistic education is promoted and is a funded career option thru government.
For me, this petition exemplifies and represents the culmination of the platform to create the prism and formation of a infrastructure to breed, promote, protect the artist,the works of the artist and the artistic process.
In America we have art colleges, artistic communities, artistic villages, artistic foundations and various artistic sources but there is no established national or international master of arms of and for “The Arts” as a whole entity.
Every field has a central hub and representatives for their rights, issues, voices and concerns.
Mr. Jones I want to Thank You for your endeavors in bringing attention to the needs for the field of the arts.
I believe anyone and everyone whose heart burns to create, who can see music notes dance when they close their eyes and can hear choreography counts in rain drops or in the clamor of kinetic city noises, deserves no less than to have an avenue of support to allow the individual the opportunity to be able to be introduced to their creative body within.
Thank you for stirring and laying the mortar for this paved road.
Tosca Ann Carter
There is nobody better to represent the arts, I love this man! Tommy Vicari
Obama is simply a catalyst for all of our best thoughts and ideas…Without our support, he is nothing…