Legislative Leaders Vow to Pass Arts & Outdoors Bill
1. Legislative Leaders Vow to Pass Arts & Outdoors Bill
2. See Yourself in New Video of 2007 Arts Advocacy Day
3. MCA Internship Opening: Campus Arts Advocate
4. Save the Date for MN Cultural Tourism Conference
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1. Legislative Leaders Vow to Pass Arts & Outdoors Bill Early Next Session
This week Tony Sertich, House Majority Leader, and Larry Pogemiller, Senate Majority Leader, the chief authors of Senate File 6, sent a letter to those of us who have been working to pass the constitutional amendment for the arts and outdoors that, in effect, vows to pass the bill early in the 2008 legislative session which begins on February 12, 2008. In their letter, they said,
“Considering the bipartisan support for this bill, and the wide margin of passage in both the House and Senate, it seems clear that the legislature supports putting this constitutional amendment to a vote of the people.
“Our natural resources, impaired water and cultural legacy deserve a long-term revenue source to address their growing needs. Passage of this constitutional amendment is vital to securing this revenue. During the interim, to whatever extent is possible, groups can begin organizing the ballot campaign to ensure support at the polls come November 2008.
“We look forward to the final passage of this legislation early in the 2008 session.”
This is seen by advocates as a green light to begin organizing for the campaign to pass the initiative with the voters in November, 2008. The good news is that we haven’t waited for this letter to begin organizing the campaign. Since the 2007 session ended in May, we have been meeting frequently with environment and outdoors advocates to put together a plan to pass the amendment. Community organizing will kick off after the first of the year and will provide all of us with many opportunities to be a part of an exciting campaign for the arts and outdoors.
Senate File 6 would create a constitutional amendment that, among other intiatives for the environment, would approximately triple funding for the arts in Minnesota. For more information on the legislation and its benefits for the arts, go to MCA’s website at www.mtn.org/mca.
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2. See Yourself in New Video of 2007 Arts Advocacy Day
Jesse Roesler, arts advocate, has made a great video of our 2007 Arts Advocacy Day in which he interviewed participants about why they believe in advocating for the arts. Check it out on our MySpace Page at: www.myspace.com/mncitizensforthearts. Maybe you’ll see yourself!
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3. MCA Internship Opening: Campus Arts Advocate
Internship Description:
Minnesota Citizens for the Arts (MCA), a nationally renowned arts advocacy organization that lobbies for state arts funding, seeks an intern to coordinate the Campus Arts Advocates program. The position is part-time and flexible (approximately 10 - 20 hours per week), from October 2007 – February 2008 and will be compensated at a rate of $7.00 / hr.
Duties and projects included in the internship:
Intern’s main duties will be to strengthen MCA’s Campus Arts Advocates Network, a statewide initiative to involve more young people in arts advocacy. Intern will be asked to contact students at colleges and universities around the state and make campus visits when possible to register those interested as Campus Arts Advocates and encourage students to participate in arts advocacy events and attend Arts Advocacy Day at the Minnesota Capitol.
Intern will also work with staff on current projects including the upcoming Arts and Outdoors amendment along with grassroots organizing, voter education, board meeting preparation, filing and data entry.
Intern may also have the opportunity to identify and take on projects of interest that relate to arts advocacy.
Requirements & Desired Skills:
Applicants must be a student at a Minnesota college or university.
An understanding of the political process. Past political experience preferred.
An interest in working with the arts community.
Good communication skills, especially speaking with people on the phone.
A self-starting, positive, self-motivated personality and a sense of humor.
Good organization skills and the ability to perform many tasks simultaneously.
Computer literacy; experience with Macintosh, Microsoft Word and Excel.
Independent and creative work habits.
APPLY NOW Please mail or e-mail resume and cover letter by October 1, 2007 to: Mark Albers Minnesota Citizens for the Arts 2233 University Avenue West Suite 355 St. Paul, MN 55114. Mark@mncitizensforthearts.org
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4. Save the Date for MN Cultural Tourism Conference
Save the Date to attend the January 22-24, 2008 MN Tourism Conference at Alltel Civic Center, Mankato:
Educational sessions on new travel and tourism trends, electronic marketing and branding to help you increase your share of the tourism market
Opportunities for networking with other professionals, developing partnerships and learning from each other
Celebrate accomplishments at the Excellence in Tourism Awards Banquet
A special Cultural Heritage Tourism focus will be offered on Wednesday, January 23 Watch for more information and registration materials as they’re made available at: http://industry.exploreminnesota.com/EMT_Conference.html