Date of Award

4-1994

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Leadership Studies

Abstract

Advocacy entails different activities, dependent on the issue, but all types of advocacy have certain characteristics in common. Advocacy is promoting one's chosen cause by creating publicity, calling and writing legislators or others in power, developing programs to show off your cause, etc. The goal of all advocacy is to garner support from a wide range of people, especially those who can influence the success of your efforts. Most often that means influencing legislators who control public funding and business leaders who make up the bulk of private funding. Advocacy takes place at the grass roots level with community canvassing or at the national and international level with massive campaigns.

Arts advocacy is a particular type of advocacy which focuses on the arts, whether visual, performing, or another creative endeavor. ...Many people think that while the arts are good, they are not as important as a police budget or education. The key for arts advocates is to show that the arts are crucial to the survival of our society, and that the arts can be integrated into all aspects of society. Moreover, the feeling is often that the arts are only for the elite and should be supported only with their money. One of my pet projects has been to work on ways to show the "average" person that the arts are accessible to him or her and can be meaningful to anyone. Advocates must make the arts a focus of the community, state, and nation, so that resources and an audience will be available.

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