4A Arts
AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES
About 4A Arts
4A Arts (American Alliance of Artists and Audiences) believes arts and culture are basic human rights, and we are working to DEMOCRATIZE, CATALYZE, and PRIORITIZE arts and culture in America.
“Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.”
— Universal Declaration Of Human Rights
OUR MISSION
We believe that arts and culture are basic human rights and powerful tools for building a whole and healthy society. 4A Arts will work to democratize, catalyze, and prioritize arts and culture in America.
DEMOCRATIZE
Advance knowledge about the role of arts and culture in American society and remove barriers to arts and culture participation.
CATALYZE
Ignite citizen action to mobilize around and engage with arts and culture.
PRIORITIZE
Champion greater investment in the creative economy at all levels of government.
OUR VISION
4A Arts envisions a United States of America where:
- The inalienable right to arts and culture is enshrined into federal law.
- Our artistic infrastructure is supported by robust and equitable public investment and arts and culture have a seat at the legislative table at the national, state, and local levels.
- Artistic and cultural experiences are accessible and inviting to all Americans and considered indispensable elements of a whole life; vital components of an active, participatory citizenship; and essential pieces of America’s heritage and global identity.
- The labor of all who create, maintain, and celebrate our cultural ecosystem is elevated to a position of high regard commensurate with the extraordinary contribution it makes to our country.
OUR VALUES
In all of our services and programs we will embody our organization’s values:
Freedom
● We believe that arts and culture are the keystones that empower citizens to re-imagine a more equitable and prosperous world built from many diverse voices and perspectives. Dismantling assumptions and hierarchies that stand in the way of progress is a necessary and liberatory process that leads to greater freedom for all.
● Freedom cannot be achieved individually or one by one; it can only be reached through collective effort that values and lifts up those in the margins. Both internally and in our public efforts, we will center and uplift the experiences of those who have historically been under-represented and under-resourced.
Accountability
● We will apply principles of radical accountability to our organizational operations and business practices, and to our relationships with all of our members, donors, and constituents. If and when we fall short, we will take immediate corrective action.
● Accountability means that what we say aligns with what we do, building a foundation upon which trust can grow; trust is paramount to enact the change we seek. We aim to foster respectful, authentic, non-performative connections and initiatives to advance the arts.
Connection
● We recognize that human connection is in our marrow: from the first culture-bearers and storytellers gathered around a fire, to spectacular cultural celebrations across this country, to the deep and lasting bonds created by authentic and open
communication.
● The arts foster belonging, inclusivity, and empathy, allowing audiences to visualize the lived experiences of others. These profound connective and unifying powers mean that any given community is stronger, and its quality of life better, with the presence of the arts.
Creativity
● In our rapidly changing world, radical creativity is necessary to achieve our vision. We will embed all forms of creativity and the celebration of the human spirit in everything we do.
● We believe that everyone has creative capacities, artistically and otherwise, and that free expression in any soul-filling form is a powerful elixir. Everyone deserves opportunities to unlock their personal creativity, for their own benefit as well as for the good of others.
Courage
● We believe that the willingness to take risks, admit mistakes, embrace criticism, and resist the pressure to conform is necessary for growth, progress, and innovation. We will have faith in the value of our mission and our work while remaining open to feedback.
● Our view of courage is encapsulated in the words of Maya Angelou: “Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.”
OUR LEADERSHIP
Click below to read a message from our founder and our Executive Director
A Message from our Founding Director
Hi friends, fellow artists, and audience members. Welcome to 4A Arts.
Years ago at my 80th birthday, I floated an idea to my friends and colleagues who’d joined me to celebrate. Having made my career in the arts, I ardently believed that artists and audiences are the economic engine of small towns and big cities in all fifty states. But I’d consistently observed that public investment in the arts and culture was abysmally low compared to its myriad contributions to society, the economy, and everyday life.
So why, I wondered, isn’t there a dedicated, member-based movement working directly on behalf of artists and audiences to elevate the role and regard of the arts and culture in our country, and ensure they receive equitable public investment and representation at the state, local, and federal levels?
A few years later, at the age of 85, I started 4A Arts.
I’ve stepped away from directing 4A Arts, but remain as the chair of the Board because this movement is near and dear to my heart. And I’m excited to see where our team takes this vision.
I firmly believe that nothing spurs the American economy like creativity and nothing spurs American creativity like the arts. I hope you’ll join this movement and get involved. Nothing less than the soul of America is at stake.
Charlie Reinhart
Founding Director, 4A Arts
A Message from our Executive Director
I’m thrilled to welcome you to 4A Arts.
“Thrilled” might seem hyperbolic, but it’s no exaggeration.
I firmly believe that the 4As Art mission can help build a membership of millions that will help our country see its own humanity instead of its divisions.
Yes, I think 4As, along with the arts organizations with which we will work, is the key to saving our democracy, our economy, our society, and our planet.
In the midst of our modern-day noise, art helps us slow down, ground ourselves, listen, and reconnect.
So welcome to 4A Arts. You play two roles – as artist and audience.
But your most important role is saving the soul of America.
Thank you for joining us.
Artfully Yours,
Gavin
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