Spring Break
Art Auction sends students to D.C.
Hannah Alexander
Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: News
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The 2008 Arts Advocacy Day, set to be held March 31 to April 1, is a two-day summit in which representatives from cultural and civic organizations meet with legislators in order to lobby for the funding and support of the arts. According to a College of Media Arts and Design press release, the purpose of Arts Advocacy Day is to network, learn how to lobby congress for increased support for the arts and develop strong public policies.
The "Emerging Artists and Emerging Leaders" auction was held in the Paul Peck Alumni Center. Approximately 230 people attended and 150 purchased bidding numbers for the silent auction.
"The work ranged from photography to ceramics to illustrations to abstract pieces," Cecilia Fitzgibbons, director of the arts administration program said.
According to Zeek Weil, communications and events coordinator of CoMAD, about 12 graduate students from Drexel are sent each year. Drexel is the only University that has raised funds to send its graduate students to Arts Advocacy Day.
"We try to make sure everyone can go for free." Monica Fonorow, publicity graduate assistant of CoMAD said.
April Williamson, Advocacy Coordinator of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, runs a scholarship program to for Arts Advocacy Day. Williamson has also attended and helped coordinate Arts Advocacy Day for the past 10 years.
"Applicants of the scholarship program have been students that have graduated from Drexel," Williamson said. "We opened this to students of arts administration, individual artists and also people working in arts organizations."
According to Williamson there are about 12 candidates each year for their scholarship and at most there are three winners. Williamson also runs her own training before Arts Advocacy Day, a program which she says is more specific than the training received the first day of the summit.
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