Tim Daly was part of the group of actors who joined The Creative Coalition on Capitol Hill to advocate for funding the National Endowment for the Arts on Right to Bear Arts Day. He tells THR that they were very well received when speaking with officials about the importance of funding the arts. Plus, he reveals how the National Endowment for the Arts funds every district in the United States and discusses next steps.
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00:00How did your experience today compare to when you were here under past administrations for Arts Day?
00:07Well, I think like a lot of people in the country, there was a kind of look of confusion on everybody's face.
00:15Because no one really knows what's going on.
00:19And, you know, it makes it so you have to be nimble and be willing to pivot.
00:24But I think that we were very well received.
00:26It's just that no one really could say this is what's happening or this is not what's happening.
00:31It was kind of like, we'll see what happens and maybe we'll be able to work together.
00:36So I'm hopeful that we will.
00:39What was your experience at the White House like specifically?
00:43Just like that.
00:44You know, there's some really nice people.
00:46We were well received.
00:47We had a great conversation.
00:48They listened and took a lot of notes.
00:50And I think they're interested in, you know, what we're doing.
00:54And they don't know how to respond because no one knows right now.
01:00I mean, and I'm not, I'm not, I don't mean to be negative about it.
01:04It's just what it is.
01:06Did anything surprise you at all today?
01:08Maybe the chief of staff of the senator from West Virginia, who was a young woman who said, she sat down and said, hi, I was a theater major.
01:21And I was like, never mind, you're hired.
01:23Just come with us because she gets our entire message about arts and arts education.
01:30Why is now such an important time to advocate for funding for the National Endowment for the Arts?
01:34Well, it's always important to advocate for that.
01:38And I think that, you know, arts can be a really powerful change agent.
01:43And they can heal people.
01:45And they can bring people together.
01:47And I think that's very important.
01:48It's also what a lot of people don't understand is that, you know, the big cities have thriving arts scenes.
01:55But the National Endowment for Arts gives grants to every congressional district in the United States.
02:02So those places are often underserved.
02:05And they need a little seed money, which is like a good housekeeping stamp of approval, so that they can go out and start their dance company, their theater company, their orchestra, or their museum, or their writer's workshop.
02:15As the president of the Creative Coalition, what's the next step for you after a day like today?
02:21Where do you and the coalition go from here?
02:22I mean, I think we're waiting to see how the budget shakes out, when it shakes out.
02:31I think we have a lot of allies that we've cultivated over the years.
02:35And it just depends on, you know, where things land.
02:38So we're like everybody else.
02:40We're kind of like we're here.
02:42We're trying to do our best.
02:43We come back every time.
02:44We talk to everybody.
02:45Arts is not a partisan, you know, endeavor.
02:48So we're hoping that, you know, the people that get the sort of more emotional, spiritual, enlightening part of arts will be on our team.
02:59And we also hope that the people that realize that for every dollar spent by the National Endowment for the Arts, $9 is returned to the economy.
03:07You know, there's a lot of talk about parity and, you know, between countries.
03:11Well, the NEA is a moneymaker.
03:13So for those people worried about the budget and balancing things, that's bringing money into the federal coffers.
03:18So I hope they realize that.