Our work in public policy is guided by our mission and consistent broadly shared community values and priorities.

Specifically, in Milwaukee, we believe that arts-forward, community-focused public policy needs to:

  • Align with other community priorities, utilizing arts and culture to address community needs
  • Benefit nonprofit arts and culture organizations and individual artists
  • Increase access to arts and culture for diverse populations
  • Expose residents and visitors to diverse arts and culture experiences
  • Support mechanisms to export city’s arts and culture to promote Milwaukee
  • Support preservation of spaces and an economy that allows artists to live, create, and experiment

We also support the state arts agenda set forth by Arts Wisconsin.

Arts Wisconsin offers a framework for policy actions to raise awareness, and build credibility, support and investment for Wisconsin’s creative economy through six focus areas:
  • Creative Economy
  • Creative Education
  • Creative Placemaking
  • Talent Attraction
  • Trade Missions and Export Opportunities
  • Investment in Wisconsin’s Arts, Culture and Creative Assets

We support the Americans for the Arts (AFTA) national arts policy agenda.

These are our national policy priorities:
  • Increase national public arts funding to $1 per person living in America
  • Strengthen equitable access to K-12 Arts Education (expand STEM to STEAM)
  • Make the charitable tax deduction work for all 
  • Expand National Service to the Arts