Thank you, Montgomery County, for the great turnout for AHCMC’s annual Advocacy Potluck. This year, over 50 arts and humanities advocates prepared and shared a meal with six of the nine County Councilmembers, including Council President Berliner, Craig Rice, Nancy Floreen, Marc Elrich, Phil Andrews, and Hans Reimer. Councilmembers Leventhal and Navarro sent regrets that they could not attend this year.

I’ve been at AHCMC nearly seven years now and I’m still impressed with the upbeat advocacy platform of this event. Volunteers flood the room with great tasting food. The room rings with laughter and conversation. And Councilmembers always show up (is there a Pavlovian aspect to this?).

Council President Berliner’s welcoming remarks were complimentary to the cultural community. A supporter of the arts and humanities as well as the green movement, Mr. Berliner was the motivation behind AHCMC’s creation of the Non-Profit Energy Alliance, which is currently saving 50 non-profits nearly $400,000 in energy costs. Mr. Berliner reminded everyone that we’re at the beginning of the budget discussion and that the County’s budget could still be affected by the State. But even that reality check didn’t dampen the enthusiasm in the room.

After the Potluck, advocates filed into the 3rd floor Council Hearing Room for testimonies. AHCMC submitted three testimonies this year: two in person and one in writing. Click on the names below to see testimonies by:

Suzan Jenkins, CEO of AHCMC, How the arts and humanities enrich Montgomery County’s community

Bethany Mattocks, Marketing Manager of CVB, How the arts and humanities in Montgomery County spur tourism

Business owner, Gary Skulnik. How the arts and humanities foster creative business

Untitled, Richard Anuszkiewicz. Silkscreen, 25 1/2"H x 19 1/2"W, 1965ca. Our inventory #: WP0016

Born in Erie, PA to Polish parents, Anuszkiewicz is a true American artist. After getting his degree from the Cleveland Institute of Arts, his painting underwent a major change when he got the chance to study under Josef Albers at Yale. Albers – another artist in our collection – was a leading abstract painter and color theorist, and under his guidance, Anuszkiewicz began to explore a more abstract vision.

It may seem easy to dismiss this type of abstract work if you don’t know the ideas behind it. Actually, though, this piece is a look at how our perception of one color is affected by the colors and light around it. It examines the way our eyes work, and the ways in which they can deceive us. To see examples of these, click here. Then go back and look at the Anuszkiewicz work. Don’t you wonder whether the color you think you see is the color that’s actually there? I, for one, find it pretty fascinating that the color I see might not actually be painted there.

The work owned by Montgomery County is one of the works Anuszkiewicz produced after his studies with Albers, since it is not realistic. Based on the colors and patterns, it’s quite likely that the work dates from the mid-to-late sixties. And thanks to Montgomery County and AHCMC, this beautiful work is available in a county office for staff – and visitors, which means you and me – to enjoy!

Good Afternoon Council President Berliner and Members of the County Council:

My name is Gary Skulnik and I am the President of Clean Currents; a home-grown company that was developed, incubated, launched and now conducts business in Montgomery County, MD. As a business executive and partner of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, I am pleased to show my support today for the County Executive’s FY13 recommended budget for this worthy agency.

Clean Currents has had the good fortune to work with the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County in the Non Profit Energy Alliance, a creative partnership of the non profit sector, county government, and private business to provide clean energy to area non profits at rates that save them money, enabling them to focus more resources on meeting their mission. The Arts and Humanities Council was instrumental in making this happen. Without them, it would have gone nowhere.

Clean Currents is a different kind of business. We are a retail electricity supplier like many others in the region, but we are a certified B Corporation, a registered Benefit LLC in the state of Maryland, and of course our headquarters is certified green by Montgomery County. Our approach is to be a for-profit business that takes into account broader stakeholders, including our local community, our employees, and the planet.

Clean Currents has been fortunate to grow as a business, adding employees and expanding our presence in the county and beyond. When I look to bring people on board with a company like ours, I look to find people who are able to think from a broader perspective, who excel in communications, and who have a passion for positive change. Not surprisingly, I find that people with a background in the arts often make the best candidates for positions with Clean Currents, no matter what the role. Two of the best sales people we’ve hired, for example, have graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).

Training in the arts, in all their various forms, is the best way to develop our young people in this county to be competitive in the work force. Clean Currents is not alone in our approach to business. More and more businesses are pushing the envelope of sustainability, creative marketing, and communications. People that come with training in the arts will be the best prepared to join these dynamic companies. Exposing people to the arts is an integral part of a job training and economic development plan.

I know that the county budget is lean, and there will likely be many cuts. But cutting the arts would be extremely short sighted, cutting our prospects of being more competitive in the future economy. Please support full funding for the Arts and Humanities Council.

Thank you.

Ask your Councilmember to support the FY13 arts and humanities budget! Click here to visit our Take Action page for resources and more information.

Good afternoon President Berliner and honored Councilmembers. Thank you for all of the great work you do on behalf of our County.

My name is Bethany Mattocks and I am the Marketing and Communications Manager for the Conference and Visitors Bureau (CVB) of Montgomery County. Our primary mission is to promote Montgomery County as a destination for business and leisure travel. Our secondary mission is to encourage local day trips and provide tourism related resources for County residents.

I also serve on the Arts & Humanities Council Marketing Committee and on the Board of Directors for VisArts Rockville. I am a lifetime Montgomery County resident and grew up in Silver Spring. I have seen Silver Spring flourish in the past few years, largely due to the number of arts organizations in the area. It is rare that within walking distance there are major arts venues such as AFI Silver Theatre, Round House Theatre and the new Fillmore.

As a County resident, it’s fantastic that I don’t have to go all the way to D.C. to experience a live music concert; I can experience a live music concert just minutes from my house! And next Tuesday, I’m taking a mosaic tile class at VisArts. Thanks to support provided by the County through the Arts and Humanities Council, opportunities for the CVB to promote Montgomery County, our great quality of life, stellar visual and performing arts and humanities, are truly endless.

Tourism in Montgomery County accounts for thousands of visitors annually with a total direct consumer tax impact of $89,960,142 in Fiscal Year 2011. Our research shows that many of those tourism dollars were largely driven by the arts. The arts create a fun, vibrant atmosphere in our County that can’t be replicated through any other means. The arts and humanities are an economic driver that brings tourists to our County who patronize our hotels, our shops and our restaurants. Just yesterday we received an inquiry from a German travel writer who wants to attend a concert at Strathmore. He was originally visiting Washington DC but is taking time out of his schedule to come to Bethesda for a concert.

Through research derived from the Cultural Data Project, the Arts and Humanities Council has data that shows for every $1 invested in the arts, $15.80 was pumped back into the local economy. From the Conference and Visitors Bureau standpoint, that’s good news. And by any business standard, that’s a great return on investment, both in dollars and in creating goodwill.

We ask that you support the Arts & Humanities in Fiscal Year 2013 with flat funding; it will be one of the best business investments the County can make. Thank you for your consideration.

Ask your Councilmember to support the FY13 arts and humanities budget! Click here to visit our Take Action page for resources and more information.

Good afternoon. I am Suzan Jenkins, CEO of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County and a twenty-three year resident of Rockville. I begin my testimony today by simply saying Thank You!

Thank You! for your past support for funding the arts and humanities in previous Montgomery County Operating Budgets.

Thanks for considering support of the FY13 budget recommendation which includes flat funding for arts and humanities grants.

Given the slow economic recovery in the County and the nation, we appreciate that all areas of the budget are under close scrutiny. We understand the tough choices you make every budget season and the uncertainty of the County’s FY13 appropriations in the wake of State’s failure to pass a budget. So, first of all let us say Thank you!

Thank you from the 31 Large Organizations that received over $2.6M in operating support grants.

Thank you from the 20 Mid-Size Organizations that received over $252,000 in grants to support their programs and projects.

Thank you from the 9 Small Organizations that received over $27,000 in grants to support their programs.

Thank you from the 9 individual artists and scholars that received over $31,000 in grants to support their work.

Thank you from the artists, arts groups and scholars that received nearly $16,000 in grants to provide dynamic education programs to 900 children and adults with disabilities, senior citizens, and children and teens at high-risk for academic failure and gang violence.

Thank you from the teaching artists who received over $31,000 in grants to lead arts integration residencies for students in 12 low-income schools in Montgomery County. These residencies use performing, visual and literary arts to help academically-challenged students explore and learn core curriculum subjects.

The arts and humanities are so much more than luxury activities for wealthy elite. They are key ingredient in a healthy and robust community.

Here are six reasons why:

#1 Creativity Fills in Social Service Gaps for the County’s Neediest Citizens: Arts and humanities programs address the needs of adults with disabilities, senior citizens, children and youth who are risk for academic failure and gang violence, incarcerated youth. Our reach extends to Family Services, the Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents, The Children’s Inn at NIH, the Boys & Girls Clubs, and CHI Centers for adults with disabilities, and senior communities.

#2 Creativity Fosters Tomorrow’s Innovative Workforce: Today’s CEOs value creativity over integrity and global thinking. An arts-infused education not only enhances academic achievement, but also helps children develop critical thinking skills, innovation, self-discipline and teamwork—all key ingredients in future workplace success.
Our Mid size and large organizations serve over 872,000 school children every year.

#3 JOBS! Over 3,448 jobs in Montgomery County that can never be outsourced. The arts and humanities sector puts people to work. Not just artists and scholars, but electricians, marketers, technicians, teachers, designers, carpenters, parking staff, caterers and workers in a wide variety of other trades and professions. Like other industries, the staff we employ pay mortgages, local taxes, and purchase goods and services right here in Montgomery County.

#4 We innovate. We leverage significant private and public investments to deepen our impact. The Nonprofit Energy Alliance, a partnership with Nonprofit Montgomery, the Nonprofit Roundtable, and the Department of Environmental Protection saves its 50 participating organizations annually about $366,000 in fixed utility expenses, allowing organizations to reduce expenditures on electricity and free up resources for their core missions while significantly reducing their carbon footprint. The impact is equivalent to taking 1700 cars off the roads or powering 700 homes over a one-year period.

#5 The creative sector produces a highly-skilled and desirable workforce.
Gary Skulnik, President of Clean Currents, a retail electricity supplier and partner in the NonProfit Energy Alliance, says that “Training in the arts is the best way to develop young people to be competitive in the work force. Exposing people to the arts is an integral part of a job training and economic development plan.” Why? Because business people like Gary Skulnik are looking for employees who think broadly, who excel in communications, and who have a passion for positive change and innovation. That’s what children learn from the arts.

#6 Return on Investment. Right now, today, the arts and humanities industry is pumping over $57 million annually back into our economy through direct expenditures on everything from paper clips and cans of paint to employee compensation, to contracts for services and supplies uniquely spent by this sector. For every dollar the County gives AHCMC in grants, arts and humanities organizations match it with an additional $15.60 in city/state/federal/ donated and contributed income.

There’s no doubt about it, Montgomery County’s arts and cultural resources are an economic asset. The creative sector provides jobs, attracts investments, and stimulates local economies through tourism, consumer purchases, and tax revenue. Perhaps even more significantly, the creative sector prepares workers to participate in the contemporary labor force, create communities with high appeal to residents, businesses, and tourists, and contribute to the economic success of other sectors.

I urge you today to continue to recognize the arts and humanities in Montgomery County as your partner in economic recovery and thank you for your continued support.

Suzan Jenkins, CEO
Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County

Ask your Councilmember to support the FY13 arts and humanities budget! Click here to visit our Take Action page for resources and more information.

#MondayMarketing

Digital natives switch media 27 times an HOUR: ow.ly/a9TTM (via @adage) Probably pretty accurate. Thoughts? #MondayMarketing

— AHCMC (@creativemoco) April 9, 2012

Takeaways: As a digital native, I’m definitely guilty of this: “watching” a show on TV while working on my laptop (switching between Word, Facebook, Twitter and Gmail) while having my phone handy for miscellaneous things (like Instagram, which is only available through iPhone and Android). It’s turning our brains to mush and making things difficult for marketers. Not great for anyone involved.

#TuesdayTech

.@AdamVincenzini’s take on what Facebook’s $1mil purchase of Instagram means for brands: ow.ly/abxeK #TuesdayTech

— AHCMC (@creativemoco) April 10, 2012

Takeaways: The internet was all atwitter of Facebook’s one million dollar purchase of Instagram, and here’s one digital strategist’s take on it: this is “the official shift to an image-powered web.”

#FridayFun

Advocacy activities regrettably got in the way of posting #WednesdayWinning and #ThursdayTips articles on their respective days, so here they are, under the #FridayFun hashtag:

MD native @JohnSchaech’s #artsed story: youtu.be/uEJfKWs44lA via @ArtsAdvocate_MD @Americans4Arts #WedWinning #FridayFun

— AHCMC (@creativemoco) April 13, 2012

Takeaways: Such a great story of how arts education helps kids build confidence and become lifelong artists!

So just how creative are you? 5 most commonly used creativity challenges: ow.ly/agyrC #ThursdayTips #FridayFun — AHCMC (@creativemoco) April 13, 2012

Takeaways: It’s Friday. Test your creativity a little!

As always, follow us at @creativemoco!

#MondayMarketing

Trying to get your CEO/ED to tweet? Maybe this will help: CEO #socmed participation -> improved brand image. ow.ly/a1UgC #MonMktg

— AHCMC (@creativemoco) April 2, 2012

Takeaways: “Consumers believe C-suite engagement in social media can benefit how they view a brand and its executive leadership. The majority of survey respondents, 78%, said CEO participation in social media leads to better communication, while 71% said it leads to improved brand image and 64% said it provides more transparency.” Wow. On a related note, follow our CEO, @SuzanJenkins!

#TuesdayTech

Instagram is now available for Android! ow.ly/a3FZA Is your brand on Instagram? #TuesdayTech — AHCMC (@creativemoco) April 3, 2012

Takeaways: Like Pinterest, Instagram is another new social media darling (click here to see how brands are using it). Instagram was previously only available for the iPhone, but now that they’ve released a version for Android, I see a lot more of my friends taking advantage of this free photo-sharing app. Will your brand join in?

#WednesdayWinning

#Gaithersburg native @erin_willett is in #TheVoice! This week’s performance of “Living in the City”: ow.ly/a5eif #WedWinning

— AHCMC (@creativemoco) April 4, 2012

Takeaways: I’m obsessed with The Voice. I’m really interested in the whole music-making/recording process in general, so everything from the blind auditions to the coaching sessions intrigues me. What’s even more exciting is that a Gaithersburg native is competing — and she’s good.

#ThursdayTips

There are 5 types of work that fill your day. How are you spending your time? ow.ly/a6cRC via @the99percent #ThursdayTips — AHCMC (@creativemoco) April 5, 2012

Takeaways: Really interesting breakdown of the kinds of work that take up your time (Reactionary, Planning, Procedural, Insecurity and Problem-Solving). How does your workday stack up?

As always, follow us at @creativemoco for these daily article tweets!

#MondayMarketing

Six ways to create an enewsletter that works: ow.ly/9SEqd via @Sisarina #MondayMarketing

— AHCMC (@creativemoco) March 26, 2012

Takeaways: Pay attention to your subject line, keep it short and sweet and share quality content. A definite must-read for anyone looking to freshen up their email marketing!

#TuesdayTech

Confession: we have this on the brain, but maybe you’ll find it helpful! 10 awesome FB Timeline examples: ow.ly/9UBoB #TuesdayTech — AHCMC (@creativemoco) March 27, 2012

Takeaways: Whether we like it or not, Facebook’s going to flip the switch on Timelines for brands tomorrow. Here’s 10 examples of brands getting creative with the new Facebook Timeline layout — either through its design or how they’re using the layout as an opportunity to further engage their fans.

#WednesdayWinning

Let us take this #WednesdayWinning time to thank everyone who tweeted their #whymoco reasons! Read them here: ow.ly/9W2g3

— AHCMC (@creativemoco) March 28, 2012

Takeaways: We had such a great conversation on Twitter last Thursday over the #whymoco hashtag! Everyone, from elected officials and community organizations to local businesses and residents, chimed in to answer the questions: What do you love about Montgomery County? Why should someone move here?

#ThursdayTips

Why creative people need multiple outlets (via @GOOD): ow.ly/9Xi27 #ThursdayTips What are your creative outlets? — AHCMC (@creativemoco) March 29, 2012

Takeaways: This is an article written by a graphic designer about needing an outlet outside of graphic design. I can definitely relate to this — I’m a former pianist, and I’ve been itching to get back to tickling the ivories!

Be sure to follow us at @creativemoco to get these daily articles!

Anyway, here are the articles we tweeted this week:

#MondayMarketing

Short article about a #sxsw panel on music marketing beyond “likes”: ow.ly/9KjvN #MondayMarketing

— AHCMC (@creativemoco) March 19, 2012

Takeaways: This panel discussed engagement on Facebook beyond the sheer number of “likes.” (Apparently, page posts only reach an average of 16% of fans who’ve liked a page.) The panel talked about engaging with fans through third-party apps (like BandPage, Headliner.fm and Bopler).

#TuesdayTech

Take a peek into Gap, Inc’s social media policy for its employees: ow.ly/9K0mQ #TuesdayTech — AHCMC (@creativemoco) March 20, 2012

Takeaways: Gap packaged their social media policy in a digestible, relatable way — so, so awesome. I’m disappointed the full brochure and the full policy aren’t available for the public, but this teaser is certainly enough inspiration for our own social media policies.

#WednesdayWinning

Great discussion happening over at @TRGArts‘ #loyaltyweek hashtag. How are you creating deeper relationships with your patrons? #WedWinning

— AHCMC (@creativemoco) March 21, 2012

Takeaways: TRG Arts has started a conversation on Twitter on how to build patron loyalty — join the conversation and see others’ thoughts at the #loyaltyweek hashtag!

#ThursdayTips

Make your colleague’s day! Here are five things you should say to them today: ow.ly/9P2IS #ThursdayTips — AHCMC (@creativemoco) March 22, 2012

Takeaways: Basically, ask for help, give help and recognition and ‘fess up.

Follow us at @creativemoco for these daily article tweets!

Want a printable version? Download this infographic in a printable brochure format here.

Click here to learn more about AHCMC’s advocacy activities and learn how you can get involved!