Join Us: People for the Arts

Last week I read the news that the new administration’s budget planned to eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. And no I’m not just regurgitating opinions from the Times or the Post! I read about it in Fox News here. (These days it’s so important to build understanding with multiple perspectives, so yeah, I spend a portion of my morning getting a daily dose of Fox!)

But no matter what pub you read, the news is the same: public funding for the arts is officially, and critically, at risk.

To call the Patreon team “pro art” is like calling the Pope “religious.” We are freaking gung ho for artists. We are fired up about getting artists paid. We are obsessed with helping creators build sustainable businesses. The thought of de-funding such impactful arts institutions is hard for us to swallow.

So I’m proud to announce that the Patreon team has rallied and built an amazing response to the news of the budget cuts. Last week we launched People for the Arts, an initiative to bring creators voices forward and to encourage everyone to take action.

PeopleForTheArts.org, #ForTheArts

So check it out! Browse through creator art like this:

Support an independent artist and buy this on Etsy

And submit your own art by using the #ForTheArts hashtag on socials! We’re going to share a rotating gallery of wide-ranging and interesting work every day. And if you’re feeling as gung ho as we are, you can take action by donating to the Americans for the Arts Action Fund, the Afterschool Alliance, the Alliance of Artist Communities, or you can buy something from an independent creator on Etsy, become a member of your local radio station, or do any of the other suggested actions here.

I am more optimistic than ever about the future of art creation and financing. Over the last few decades, we collectively figured out how to build distribution for any person or creator with an internet connection. But, there is no room to cut off funding from anywhere. Creators need every inch from every source possible. So please take some time today to add your inch, and take action here.