4A Arts 

American Alliance of Artists
and Audiences

GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING
TO TRANSFORM CITIZENS
FROM ARTS CONSUMERS
INTO ARTS ADVOCATES

“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

Uniting American citizens in the recognition that arts, culture, design, and craft are essential to meaningful lives and drive robust economies.

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.”

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