With a heavy heart, I’m writing to reflect on my time working with Charlie Reinhart who passed away on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at the age of 94 years young. My time with Charlie was brief but rich in the long line of his life, career, and influence on American creativity.
Charlie was a visionary leader. For decades he wondered why the United States did not have what one might term an “arts special interest” organization, paving the way forward for policy on arts, culture, design, and craft. He phrased it, “Why is there no ‘AARP of arts and culture?’ – some group with millions of citizen members bringing the arts from the basement to the top floors of priority?”
Those closest to him knew about this preoccupation and said, “He’s been talking about this for decades.” Despite his entreaties and requests for others to take up the cause, no one heeded his call to lead. So Charlie just started building it himself…at age 85; and thus was born 4A Arts – American Alliance of Artists and Audiences.
I was lucky when 4A Arts came to my attention, and I joined the staff when Charlie was ready to give up daily administration and leadership. We chatted twice a week as he wanted to stay on top of every development as together we crafted the mission, emerging programs, and plan for growth.
He believed that leveraging the personal connection between arts institutions and their audiences was the pathway to success. I was skeptical that arts organizations, so sparse in bandwidth and money, would be willing to reach out to their audiences to cultivate more general American arts advocacy. But as our burgeoning programs grew, and I began phone banking institutions, every single one of them leapt at the opportunity for greater citizen engagement.
Charlie’s vision was accurate. I’m grateful to have been able to tell him so multiple times over the last year.
Charlie was wise enough to recognize his limitations. He regularly issued mea culpas on not using social media but recognized its importance in our marketing. He regularly chastised himself for forgetting a name, but let me assure you, it was no worse than I can be at remembering names. While he wanted to keep some control over his organization, he willingly let me descend into rabbit holes of my own curiosities. While he knew he wouldn’t be around for much longer, he was determined that we build 4A Arts sustainably, so that it survived beyond his lifetime. And just a few short weeks ago, he stepped aside as our board chair, knowing it was time for the organization to grow under the leadership of someone new.
We are on that path to bring great change. Our efforts at grassroots organizing of citizens to transform everyday Americans from arts consumers into arts advocates are championed by the American arts advocacy ecosystem. Full credit goes to Charlie Reinhart and his vision.
Every single time I called him on our twice-weekly check-ins, we began the conversation, “Gavin?”
“How are ya?”
“I’m still here.”
I’ll miss him still being here.
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4A Arts Executive Director Gavin Lodge is also an actor, entrepreneur, political strategist, and father of two. After studying international affairs and philosophy at the University of Colorado, he worked as a field organizer in the Iowa Caucus followed by the role of “body guy” to then-candidate Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington State. Politics empowered him to move to New York City to pursue a performing career. Ultimately, he performed in multiple Broadway shows (including 42nd Street, Spamalot, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) as well as regional theater, national tours and several network television appearances.
Though he was thrilled every time he stepped onto a theatrical or sound stage, Gavin was equally happy to take on leadership roles in his local union and later his kids’ PTA.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, Gavin jumped back into the political realm, working as a strategist for Bryson Gillette, a minority-owned PR firm focused on politics and public affairs. He also volunteered for Be an #ArtsHero, an arts advocacy movement blossoming during the first few months of the pandemic. During his time with Be an #ArtsHero, he was part of a team that successfully lobbied for a first-of-its-kind hearing on the creative economy in front of the House of Representatives Small Business Committee.
Gavin lives in rural Connecticut with his partner (a composer and orchestral conductor), his TikTok-dancing daughter (who is musically gifted in unparalleled ways) and his soccer-playing son who recently told him “Dad? I’m just not into concerts and theater stuff.” As he told his son, Gavin believes there is much more to American arts and culture than “concerts and theater stuff.” From the video games his son loves to play to low-rider paint jobs to streaming television series while sitting on the couch, Gavin sees American arts and culture as an inclusive, “big tent” spectrum where everyone is an artist and everyone is a member of an audience.
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4A Arts believes arts and culture are basic human rights and powerful tools for building a healthy society. As a nonprofit social movement, we seek to democratize, catalyze, and prioritize arts, culture, design, and craft in American society. Our goals include increased public support for the creative economy (commensurate with its impact on the American economy) by all levels of government, and creation of a Secretary of Arts and Culture.
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