For 32 years prior to the pandemic, the National Arts Action Summit (also known as Arts Advocacy Day) took place in Washington, DC as a face-to-face convening that involved hotel meeting rooms, meals and events on Capitol Hill and at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For those years, there was a registration fee ranging from $99-$150 for individuals and ~$300 for organizations seeking to join as an event partner.

However, having administered this event virtually, this year we are hosting the event without any costs to the individual or organizations interested in participating. We are doing this as we’ve seen substantial interest in engaging in arts advocacy when cost isn’t an issue and we want to encourage that.  

To register for the event,

Begin with Part I of Registration by clicking here for the registration webpage. Following that step, Part II of Registration includes a short form we ask that you fill out.

For assistance with registration, please view the ArtsU Tech Support Page. For additional support, you may email events@artsusa.org.

No, the event is open to everyone. 

However, you must have an account with Americans for the Arts to register. If you have an account, click the LOG IN button, enter your username and password, and continue to check out. If you do not have an account, click the CREATE AN ACCOUNT button. You will then be directed to the Americans for the Arts website to create your account. Once you have created your account, you must return to your cart on ArtsU to complete your registration for the event.

To create an account, visit this page and follow the instructions.

To access the live event, return to the event page on the day of the event and locate the box on the right-hand side of the page with the title of the event. Click on that box, and an orange VIEW LIVE EVENT button will appear. Click on the button and the virtual session will launch in a new window. Please note: this button will not become visible until five minutes before the event. For further assistance, please see the ArtsU Getting Started Page.

All sessions for the virtual event will be recorded and available for replay in the weeks after the live event - Sessions are not available for instant replay. Everyone who registered for the event will receive an email when the recordings are ready. To access the archived recordings, return to the agenda page and locate the box on the right-hand side with the title of the event. Click on that box, and a VIEW ARCHIVED RECORDING button will appear. Click on the button, and the video will open. For further assistance, please see the ArtsU Getting Started Page.

To support a full creative life for all, we at Americans for the Arts commit to championing policies and practices of cultural equity that empower a just, inclusive, and equitable nation. We are committed to making our meetings and events as safe, equitable, and inclusive as possible. Attendees needing accommodations may contact us at events@artsusa.org to specify their needs for the virtual event.

In addition, we have enacted improved opportunities for all to fully participate:

• We also record and archive all our virtual presentations (including Keynotes and Sessions) for all those registered to access post-event.
• Americans for the Arts will live caption all presentations and provide transcripts (when possible) after the event.