Hello American Circus Alliance members and friends!
I am delighted to share the following news with you. As a result of lobbying and efforts from our partner, Be An Arts Hero/Arts Workers United, the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee will hold a hearing next Wednesday, January 19th, titled "The Power, the Peril, and the Promise of the Creative Economy."
That’s right…Congress is holding a hearing on the arts economy! This is a chance to reset the national conversation around arts and culture, and yes, that includes circus! Let’s talk about the power of the arts sector within our country. Did you know that we are part of a $919 billion per year economy, comprising 5.2 million arts workers and 300,000 arts and culture small businesses? We all know that our sector is still reeling from the devastation of the past two years. But we also know that we are strong, circus strong, and that we will persevere because (forgive me here) the show must go on. The power, the peril, and the promise.
This is a fantastic opportunity to build on the work that the ACA has been doing with colleagues in the arts sector around the country. We are honored to represent circus workers in these national conversations, and delighted for our industry to be recognized, accepted, and respected by our arts peers on a national level. This week leading up to the hearing is a critical time for our community to speak up. Together we can both build momentum for the federal government to increase support for arts workers and grow recognition for our industry (circus) as an important part of the arts ecosystem.
The most important actions you can take are:
- Written testimony submitted by Monday January 17th- Arts Workers United will submit a packet of materials including studies, reports, and written testimony to be included in the official hearing record. They want to include the testimony of our members, organizations and institutions. You can find how to submit HERE and on pages 7-8 of the toolkit linked below.
- Video testimony posted on social media January 17-19th - Through social media, submit video testimony and flood the networks with the testimony of Arts Workers, Organizations, Businesses, and Institutions. Guidance for this on page 10 of the toolkit linked below.
- None of these speaking to you? Make your voice heard and your situation understood in whatever way feels right to you. Photo, song, visual art piece, you name it.
Want to do it all? The posting schedule for the toolkit campaign starts today, Jan 14th. Click the button below to access more info and the toolkit provided by Arts Workers United to get involved now!
However you chose to get involved, I am grateful and honored to be working with you!
Sincerely and with respect,
Ariele Ebacher
ACA Board Secretary and circus artist
