A quiet but symbolic ceremony unfolded Wednesday inside the Michigan governor’s office, where Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was presented with a national Public Leadership in the Arts Award honoring her efforts to rescue arts funding and recognize creativity as a driver of economic growth across the state.
The presentation coincided with Michigan Arts Day, which highlighted her administration’s push to weave arts and culture into community development and job creation. The national leadership honor is reserved for elected leaders who treat the arts as vital civic engines that drive employment, strengthen neighborhoods and enhance quality of life.
The award, from national advocacy organization Americans for the Arts and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, was bestowed before a small gathering of arts advocates, leaders and lobbyists after a daylong program at nearby Heritage Hall in downtown Lansing.
Earlier in the day, Erin Harkey, CEO of AFTA, spoke about Whitmer’s accomplishments.
“Before I joined American for the Arts,” said Harkey, “I spent nearly eight years as a commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs in Chicago, so I know firsthand what it looks like to fight for arts funding at the local level. I know what it feels like when budgets get tight and the arts are in the crosshairs. And I also know how much (of a) difference strong leadership can make.”
She praised Whitmer as “a leader who has shown extraordinary commitment to Michigan’s creative economy.”
“You know this story well,” Harkey said, “but when the Michigan House advanced a proposal to eliminate the Michigan Arts and Cultural Council, the governor didn’t treat it as a footnote in a budget negotiation. She heard your voices. She engaged. She prioritized the issue and worked across leadership. The result was $13.4 million preserved for arts and culture across all 83 counties.
“The message was clear: ‘The arts are not optional. They are essential.’ And this message didn’t just resonate in Michigan. I think it reverberated nationally and gave courage to advocates and policymakers across the country facing similar challenges.”
The arts are a “major part of the state’s civic, social and economic life,” Harkey continued.
“When companies decide where to locate, and when families decide where to live, the conversation often comes down to quality of life: ‘What’s there to do?’ ‘What can my kids be part of?’ ‘What brings people joy?’ ‘Can we build a life here that feels connected and meaningful?’”
States and communities that invest in creativity send a powerful signal to national lawmakers, the arts advocate said.
“Arts policy doesn’t start in Washington. It starts at home. When states like Michigan protect funding, those victories become proof points when we meet with members of Congress. Your success gives us leverage there, especially at this critical moment for culture and creative freedom in our country.”
Later in the afternoon Wednesday, freshly returned after a morning meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., Whitmer reminded the audience that arts advocacy work is “more important now than ever.”
“As we work with the legislature to try to make sure that we continue to fund the arts and, ideally, have consistent, predictable, dedicated funding, the numbers matter,” the governor said. “It matters to the people across the street in the Capitol, but it matters to the Michigan constituency, too. As I think about my life and the things that have given me the most enrichment, it is the interaction with art … the opportunities that I had in my family, whether it was traveling and getting to see a show or something new, or taking music, the arts encompassed so much.
“Everyone should be able to have that. That should be a core part of life. None of this happens without a lot of wonderfully talented people, but also visionaries who know how to get things done. So I appreciate everything, and this is a great honor for me.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: National group salutes Whitmer for fight to rescue arts funding
Reporting by Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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