A little side project
I recently teamed up with an organization called Be An #ArtsHero to bring more awareness to the difficulties a lot of arts and culture sector workers are having these days (including cartoonists). Here is the press release:
Press Contacts: Rick Miramontez / Marie Bshara / Amanda Meyer rick@omdkc.com / marie@omdkc.com / artshero@omdkc.com
212 695 7400
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
TWO DOZEN AMERICAN POLITICAL SATIRE CARTOONISTS
TEAM UP WITH
BE AN #ARTSHERO
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COUNTERPOINT
FOR THE “ARTS WORKERS UNITE:
100 DAYS OF ACTIVISM”
New York, NY (March 16, 2021) – Be An #ArtsHero, the non-partisan grassroots coalition working to mobilize all disciplines and regions of the Arts & Culture sector, is proud to announce a partnership with Counterpoint, a collection of the sharpest political minds and Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonists, as they aim to create a national conversation highlighting the Arts & Culture sector and it’s colossal socioeconomic value. As they join the nationwide effort of Arts Workers everywhere, the partnership between Be An #ArtsHero and Counterpoint seeks to bring to light the continued need for substantial relief to Arts Workers.
Cartoons from more than two dozen Award-winning and Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonists are available to view on beanartshero.com/cartoon-campaign and can be downloaded at the following link.
America’s cartoonists participating in the political cartoonist initiative include Nick Anderson, Nathan Archer, Robert Ariail, Juan Astasio, Richard Bartholomew,Chris Britt,Michael Egan, Warren “Wee” Elliott,Tom Falco, Mike Lester,Mark Lynch, Steve McGinn,DebMilbrath, Pedro X Molina, Paul Pinderski, Peter Reiss, Ali Solomon, Scott Stantis,Joe Sutliff, Tom Toro, Mark Wilke, and more.
“Counterpoint is proud to team up with Be An #ArtsHero to campaign for more awareness about the massive economic contribution of America's arts workers – while at the same time – being uniquely vulnerable to ruinous consequences during economic downturns. It's about time that arts workers made their voices heard,” said Nick Anderson, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and Executive Director and Co-founder of Counterpoint.
"Be An #ArtsHero is honored to partner with Counterpoint. In a movement forged at the intersection of art and politics, who better than political cartoonists to illuminate the plight of the Arts & Culture sector? Political cartoonists are valuable Arts Workers who, with razor sharp wit and incredible artistry, help shape the political discourse, expose hypocrisy and change minds,” explained Be An #ArtsHero co-founders Carson Elrod,Jenny Grace Makholm,Brooke Ishibashi and Matthew-Lee Erlbach.
Be An #ArtsHero continued, “The political cartoons represent a powerful statement of art as advocacy and our hope is the Biden Administration and Congress will see the cartoons, reflect upon their implications, and ensure that the creative economy will get the relief it needs to survive.”
ARTS WORKERS UNITE: 100 Days of Art & Activism launched on January 20, 2021 and mirrors the first 100 days of the Biden/Harris Administration. The campaign aims to engage the nation in legislation, hard data, and various initiatives which includes Arts & Culture Workers from various disciplines and Congressional districts. In this critical period where the new administration will seek to enact its agenda, Arts & Culture must be a top priority for economic revival and national reconciliation. Follow along and participate in the 100 Days of Art & Activism campaign here.
Be An #ArtsHero invites America's Arts Workers to learn about their socioeconomic value and use their skills to push the new administration to pass sweeping relief and recovery legislation. Arts & Culture Workers from across the country will call on the new administration to engage with the colossal socio-economic value of the Arts & Culture sector, which brings a massive $877 billion in value added to the U.S. economy while providing 5.1 million American jobs. Currently, 2.7 million Arts Workers are unemployed due to the economic devastation wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Arts & Culture sector adds more to the GDP than Transportation, Agriculture, Construction and Tourism. With an economic growth rate nearly double that of the rest of the economy, it’s clear that relief and recovery for the Arts & Culture sector must be made an economic and legislative priority.
ABOUT COUNTERPOINT
The world according to Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonists — Democrat, Republican, Independent & IDGAF. The sharpest political minds will bring you competing perspectives on the biggest news stories of the week. To subscribe, visit counterpoint.substack.com.
ABOUT BE AN #ARTSHERO
Be An #ArtsHero is a national, non-partisan grassroots movement that emphasizes Arts & Culture’s contribution to the economy. Be An #ArtsHero is a united, intersectional, sector-wide coalition that exists to defend and position the Arts & Culture sector of the U.S. as a legislative priority for support and investment commensurate with our socio-economic value. BAAH’s Open Letter to the US Senate has been signed by more than 16,000 supporters, including rank and file, blue collar Arts Workers; leaders of major Arts organizations; and countless high-profile celebrities. BAAH is endorsed by American Theater Wing, Broadway Cares/EquityFightsAIDS, Dramatists Guild, Costume Industry Coalition, Young Audiences Coalition, Ovation TV, FreelancersUnion, ExtendPUA, Touring Professionals Alliance, SIMS Foundation and many more.
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twitter.com/newcounterpoint