Welcome to the WyAA Arts Advocacy website page. It contains advocacy issues and information to assist you in spreading support for the fine and performing arts.

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

Currently, a group of arts educators and officers of WyAA are working to amend the Hathaway Success Curriculum to include a Fine and Performing Arts requirement. The Joint Education Committee of the Wyoming State Legislature met November 17, 2010. After testimony was presented (see below for the presentation made in support of the Fine and Performing Arts), the committee amended and approved one of the two draft bills submitted. It revises the Hathaway Success Curriculum by requiring students take two consecutive years of foreign language or two years of fine and performing arts or two years of career and technical education. The draft bill was passed with 8 votes for and 4 votes against. The legislators voting against the draft bill preferred to retain a mandatory foreign language requirement. Of these 12 members, 4 will continue on the new committee. This committee will present this draft bill to the legislature this upcoming session, which begins January 11, 2011. It may be amended again at that time.

If you support adding the Fine and Performing Arts to the Success Curriculum, please contact YOUR legislators to express your views (particularly those educators serving on the 2011 Education Committee). Refer to the legislature web site http://legisweb.state.wy.us for the most current contact information for your legislators, a list of the new Education Committee members, and a draft of the bill being considered.

To learn more about the value of the arts in student's educations. please view the Instructions and Talking Points, the Presentation document, and any of the advocacy information below to learn more about this effort and how you can help.

Instructions and talking points for the Hathaway Amendment

SMARTS Facts

Fine and Perfoming Arts Presentation to ED Committee

Advocacy Tools

Download our Art SmARTS Powerpoint: Click here for the PDF

Watch the video from Natrona County High School:

Arts Advocacy Concerns

If you have questions, if you would like to use these tools for your own group or in your community, or if you would like to be more actively involved in the effort, please feel free to contact Steve Schrepferman, Co-President of the Wyoming Arts Alliance at 307-899-6693.