Tales of a First Time Arts Advocate

by Rachel lee Joyce

As the barista at my morning coffee shop, my neighbor’s dog, and my co-workers with adjoining cubes would enthusiastically testify, I detest mornings. And I am wont to share my cranky disposition with all man or beast that cross my path before a thermos of light roast and 11 am. Add to that my attitude problems with authority figures and my feelings of powerlessness at the hands of government and it is easy to see why an 8:00 am call for arts advocates at the capitol for Advocacy Day was a hard sell for me. But my passionate belief in the arts as a catalyst for social change and crucial component of individual and cultural transformation trumped my disdain of sunrises and a few years ago I joined with a thousand or so other arts enthusiasts and became an arts advocate for MCA’s Advocacy Day. The experience was so exhilarating that I am prepared to forego the snooze button for all Advocacy Days to come.

After traveling by chartered bus with a group of inspired co-workers to the capitol, I was greeted at the entrance with beaming smiles, complete information packets, and bottomless coffee by MCA volunteers. When I entered I the advocacy gathering room I was stunned. Hundreds upon hundreds of arts-workers and supporters were inside preparing for the day’s activities. Until recently, I have been a freelancer, accustomed to working alone and rarely caught a glimpse of what I often considered the mythical “arts community.” I considered arts activists to be much like Snuffleupagus, often sighted but somehow never around where I was. But in that room I was thrilled to see I was indeed part of a large, motivated group of individuals from every part of the state who are compelled to work for government support of the arts.

The packet of information gave me everything I needed to navigate the day. I was assigned to a team of advocates who would travel together throughout the day to our appointments with individual legislators. The team leaders held up large signs in the meeting hall so they were easy to spot. I found my team leader, read background information about the legislators I was scheduled to meet and tips for the meetings while waiting for the other group members and basking in the energy of the room. Advocacy teams are made up of people who live in a leglisator’s district (voters!), people from an organization that has toured to a legislature’s district or artists that have done residencies in that district.

Once our group was assembled we started making our way through the capitol to the representative’s offices. Our leader was an experienced advocate and trained conveying the message of arts advocacy day to the legislator’s. As we traveled through the capitol (our numbers were impressive and dominated the halls) many employee’s greeted and encouraged us. Although this was my first time, many capitol regulars witness this display every year and welcome our involvement.

The meetings with representatives took place in their office or, if the legislator was in a scheduled committee meeting, in the hallway outside the meeting room. Each of the six legislators our group met with was enthusiastic to meet us and hear what brought us to the capitol that day regardless of their voting record in the arts. Each group has a few minutes to greet the representative, clearly state the mission of the group’s visit, which is to prevent cuts in state funding to the arts, and share any personal connections with the arts in the representatives district. Several of the reps I met with told us about what arts they enjoyed, plays and concerts they had seen that year, or about artists visiting their children’s school. I was surprised to find how personally reps had decorated their office spaces. The various mini-shrines to sports teams, family photos, artwork and taxidermy made the atmosphere much more relaxed. Maybe not so much the taxidermy. Although not each legislator supported the current spending allotment for the arts, no one argued the point with us or quizzed us for facts and figures.

When we wrapped up our individual meeting in the afternoon, our group met up with other random arts advocates, easily recognizable in their arts advocates pins and heads raised high, for lunch. I was so energized hearing about arts initiatives throughout the state and could not wait to report back to my friends and co-workers on the bus back to south Minneapolis. And none of my apprehensions about a coffee-less, contentious day with callous politicians were warranted. Instead, I had an inspiring day fueled by the energy of hundreds of positive, dedicated arts advocates filled with thoughtful encounters with similarly positive and dedicated elected officials. So if you are considering being a first-time participant I urge you to cast off all doubt and sign up today to represent the arts for your area.