Ra Joy is the Executive Director of the Illinois Arts Alliance. He is an artist and arts advocate with extensive experience in public policy and the congressional arena. As executive director for one of the premier statewide advocacy organization's in the nation, Mr. Joy oversees research, capacity building and communication efforts to advance widespread support for the arts and arts education in Illinois.
Prior to joining the Illinois Arts Alliance, Mr. Joy served for six years as a senior staffer for U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL-9). Motivated by the belief that democracy is a verb and the instinct to be creative is universal, Mr. Joy serves as Chair of the Evanston Ethic Arts Festival and is a member of the board of directors for Mikva Challenge.
In this full-length session on arts advocacy held at the Self Employment in the Arts (SEA) Conference in February 2008, three panelists discuss how they got involved in advocacy, the types of advocacy that can happen politically at the local, regional, and national level, and how you can get involved today to advocate arts to government leaders.
In this segment of a panel discussion on arts advocacy, the panelists engage in a frank discussion of how government funding and the shifting mandates that accompany that funding have affected arts education in public schools – particularly in Illinois – as well as other challenges which educators and advocates continually struggle with.
In this segment from a panel titled “Arts Alliances: Networking, Advocacy, and Politics” held at the SEA conference in February 2008,, the panelists discuss the importance of partnership and collaboration in successfully advocating for support for the arts at the local, regional and national levels. Each panelist discusses what specific benefits and services their organizations offer to artists.
In this segment from a panel titled “Arts Alliances: Networking, Advocacy, and Politics” held at the SEA conference in February 2008,, panelists Ra Joy, Olga Stefan, and Denise Laurin share some tips about how to get involved in advocating for the arts by starting a dialogue with your local and national representatives. They discuss what to expect, what kind of response to expect, and how best to go about contacting your congressional representatives and local leaders.
In this segment from a panel titled “Arts Alliances: Networking, Advocacy, and Politics” held at the SEA conference in February 2008, designer Denise Laurin explains the central role that the arts play in fostering and preserving a national shared culture.
