National Association of Counties * Washington, D.C.            Vol. 31, No. 12 * June 21, 1999

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NACo President Betty Lou Ward
participates in historic arts agreement

By Jacqueline Byers
research director

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NACo President Betty Lou Ward signs Atlanta Accords as Bill Ivey, chair, National Endowment for the Arts, and Patsy Jo Hillard, mayor, East Point, Ga., applaud.

On Monday, June 7, Betty Lou Ward participated in a historic signing of an agreement called the "Atlanta Accords." This agreement, which pledges public support for the arts, was signed by representatives of several major governmental organizations.

In addition to Ward, Mayor Jim Marshall of Macon, Ga. signed for the U.S. Conference of Mayors; Patsy Jo Hillard, mayor of East Point, Ga., signed for the National League of Cities; Gov. Thomas R. Carper of Delaware signed for the National Governors’ Association; and Bill Ivey, chair, signed for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Other signatories included Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell, signing for Fulton County (Ga.) Commissioner Michael Hightower and representatives of the Congressional Arts Caucus, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Americans for the Arts.

Each organization that signed the agreement is encouraging its members to sign the accords and pledge support for the arts.

The signing was part of the Americans for the Arts Annual Conference in Atlanta, Ga. This conference included workshops and seminars as well as live performances and discussions conducted by various artists.

NACo exhibited outstanding county arts programs in the new NACo Arts and Culture Commission booth and debuted the new publication Arts Programs: Solutions to County Challenges, which includes model county programs in the arts.

For a copy of the Atlanta Accords, contact NACo’s Research Division at 202/942-4285 or jbyers@naco.org. For copies of the new arts publication, contact NACo’s Public Affairs office at 202/942-4256.

Atlanta Accords WHEREAS public support for the arts, at all levels in the United States, and especially since 1965, has been critical in enhancing an American civilization unified through the arts and cultural expressions drawn from people from around the world to the point that our people are now engaged in unprecedented and growing numbers as creators, performers and audience members; WHEREAS 35 years of public support for the arts through 50 states, six special jurisdictions and in thousands of large and small cities and counties throughout the nation, has been an economic generator stimulating a healthy, vibrant and growing nonprofit arts economy employing 1.3 million people in full-time jobs; returns $3.4 billion in federal income taxes, $1.2 billion in state and $790 million in local government revenue; and has an overall economic impact of $37 billion; WHEREAS public support for the arts has helped to acknowledge, to recognize and to inspire growing numbers of the American family who are the artists, the genius, and the backbone of the cultural industry and who generously offer the fruits of their talents to young and old alike; WHEREAS the institutions which foster and make accessible the work of artists enhance the ability of our citizens to participate in a more civil society, uniting us in understanding and appreciating our diverse cultural heritage, and empowering us to imagine and create a shared vision for the future; THEREFORE be it resolved by the signatories of these Atlanta Accords, and by all who witness these proceedings that: We extend great appreciation to the millions of individuals who contribute to the arts directly through their donations, public service and leadership as members of boards of directors and trustees in every community; and who contribute to the arts indirectly through their tax dollars; We acknowledge with sincere gratitude the leadership and investment on the part of businesses and foundations who provide the arts with human, financial, and material resources; We commit ourselves and encourage all elected and appointed officials at the federal, state and local levels – mayors; county commissioners; city and county managers; governors; legislators at the federal, state and local levels; and the president – to strengthen leadership and increase support for a sustainable, cultural economy which unselfishly provides a measure of public service defining our ultimate legacy as a nation. We recognize that the goal of public support for the arts at the federal, state and local levels is to enable every individual to participate in the arts as a creator, performer or attendee. We further recognize that: public support enables more people to participate in and experience art of higher quality; public support expands access to the arts for people whose opportunities to participate are otherwise restricted by geographic, socio-economic, educational or other barriers; public support of the arts empowers people to participate effectively in a democratic society by developing skills of perception, reflection, interpretation and communication, which promote understanding of diverse and cross-cultural values; public support of the arts enhances the unique contributions of artists to the well-being of the nation’s social, political, cultural and economic life. public support of the arts helps build a sense of national, state and community identity by preserving and nurturing our common cultural heritage; public support of the arts enriches the quality of individual, family and community life; public support for lifelong education in the arts empowers people of all ages to develop their creativity in school, at home and in the workplace; public support for prevention and intervention programs centered on art, recreation, and education proves successful at reducing juvenile crime and enhancing academic performance among youth at risk; public support for the arts enhances community development, promotes cultural planning, stimulates business development, spurs urban renewal, attracts new businesses, and improves the overall quality of life in our cities and towns; and public support of cultural tourism is increasingly playing a critical role both in the economic surge of the travel and tourism industry as well as in community revitalization; Witnessed by: _________________________________ _________________________________