Assembly for the Arts
A new nonprofit and advocacy organization, introduced, June 2021, that will serve artists, nonprofits, and creative businesses across Northeast Ohio.
Assembly establishes a body of like-minded artists, storytellers, non-profit organizations, creative enterprises and professionals that unite around a shared set of values. Empowering all through advocacy, activism, racial equity, and creative resources for the arts with a promise of creating a more inclusive and equitable arts and culture community, members will gather from all artistic disciplines, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and abilities to build a better Greater Cleveland.
Assembly’s mission is to convene, coordinate, and collaborate to strengthen and support those in the region who create, present, experience and appreciate all forms of arts and culture with core values of mutual respect and unity, inclusion and racial equity, transparency and trust; collaborative leadership, and adaptability and agility.
Assembly’s vision is to ensure that everyone who lives and works in Greater Cleveland benefits from a diverse and equitable arts and cultural sector, and recognizes that the arts are an essential, defining element in the quality of life, social fabric, and economic vitality of the region.
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From WKSU, August 20, 2021: For all the ways that area artists, performers and museums enrich Greater Cleveland, the local arts community is still learning how to work together in its own interest as a sector. The new advocacy organization Assembly for the Arts hosted meetings this week aimed at meshing the strengths of different players. The group plans to focus on four areas: political advocacy, racial equity, services to help the sector, and marketing. Assembly for the Arts CEO Jeremy Johnson said he’s looking to use the multi-billion-dollar impact of Northeast Ohio’s arts economy as leverage for more support from local and state leaders. "We're going to make sure that Cleveland, Greater Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, will be respected for its arts and cultural industry as we are with other industries and that we will be at the table," Johnson said. Plans are to work out the details of that future in a series of monthly meetings scheduled through the end of the year. Assembly CEO Jeremy Johnson and Happy Dog's Sean Watterson took questions at a State of the Music Scene forum at the Grog Shop, Aug. 4th. Assembly for the Arts formed with foundation financial support and will work in coordination with the political advocacy organization Arts and Culture Action Committee as well as the public funding agency Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (CAC), which Ideastream Public Media receives financial support from. Assembly for the Arts also replaces the former advocacy group Arts Cleveland. Copyright 2021 WCPN. |
| Current community events: |
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| The City Club Mayoral Forum: Assembly will co-sponsor post-preliminary mayoral forums for Cleveland at The City Club on October 11, 2021, at 7:30 pm. |
| The Arts Vote: Assembly in partnership with CAN Journal, Artist Bridge Coalition, Music Industry Group/NIVA, Cleveland Arts Education Consortium (CAEC) will host a forum at the Beachland Ballroom and live-streamed to dive deeper into the candidates’ take on the arts. Tune in on Monday, October 18, 2021, at 6 pm. |
Cuyahoga Arts and Culture
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) is one of the largest local public funders for arts and culture in the nation, helping hundreds of organizations in Cuyahoga County connect millions of people to cultural experiences each year. Cuyahoga County residents created Cuyahoga Arts & Culture in 2006 when they approved a tax on cigarettes to support arts and culture in our community. Since 2007, CAC has invested more than $207 million in more than 436 organizations both large and small, making our community a more vibrant place to live, work and play. In November 2015, Cuyahoga County voters overwhelmingly supported Issue 8, the penny-and-a-half tax and revenue source for Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. The renewed tax provides CAC with funding through January 2027 to invest in the local arts and culture sector. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture is a strong steward of the public's money, investing nearly $12 million annually in organizations that bring arts and culture to life in our communities. Each year we support tens of thousands of arts and culture programs and events that enhance the lives of Cuyahoga County residents.
Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
On June 12, 2012, Attorney Todd Masuda, a member of the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA), and Greg Peckham, Managing Director at LAND studio www.land-studio.org led a CAEC professional development session around the topic of successful collaborations for CAEC members. For more information about VLA go to: https://www.clemetrobar.org/?pg=VLAProgram
VLA facilitates access to legal services for Northeast Ohio artists and arts organizations, including pro bono legal representation and referrals to income-eligible artists and arts organizations in all disciplines, develops educational resources for and build a living network of the region’s lawyers, artists, and arts organizations and advocates for a strong and vibrant arts community.
Global Cleveland
Global Cleveland is a non-profit organization focused on regional economic development through actively attracting newcomers (US-born and nonUS-born individuals) and welcoming and connecting them economically and socially to the many opportunities throughout Greater Cleveland. Global Cleveland attracts, welcomes and connects international newcomers to economic and social opportunities in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Global Cleveland’s vision is to create a welcoming region that is a place of opportunity for people of all ethnic and international backgrounds, and an employment culture based on merit and openness, regardless of age or longevity in Cleveland.
Global Cleveland’s newest volunteer opportunity trains and certifies a person to become a Community Navigator to help members of ethnic communities understand their rights and learn about the path to citizenship. Questions? Contact Elizabeth at elizabeth@globalcleveland.org.
R Strategy Group
During the April 2013 CAEC meeting at Cleveland Public Theatre, members and guests met Jeff Rusnak, President and CEO of R Strategy Group, who presented terrific information about advocacy and effective ways to advocate. R Strategy Group is an Ohio-based strategic. communications and advocacy firm focused on designing and implementing strategies to educate and mobilize key constituencies. Jeff and his company provided the strategic vision for the highly-regarded 2006 countywide ballot initiative that established Cuyahoga Arts & Culture www.cacgrants.org—and to the subsequent start-up of what has become one of the nation’s top five local funders of arts and culture. Follow their work by going to: rstrategygroup.com.
| Advocacy in Ohio and Beyond |
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