Federal Funding for Arts in Transit & Transportation Update

Recorded On: 04/27/2020

About this Webinar

On December 4, 2015, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (Pub. L. No. 114-94) was signed into law which provides a long-term funding certainty for surface transportation infrastructure planning and investment. Unfortunately, the FAST Act also established a prohibition for use of FTA funds for art in transit projects, disrupting a long standing and highly lauded national tradition. The 2015 prohibitions remove local control from transit authorities and reverses nearly over 100 years of systemic enhancement of our transit systems to the detriment of communities across the U.S. In this webinar, hear from Americans for the Arts staff as they outline the history and impact of this issue and highlight how you can advocate for the return of federal funding for arts in transit projects.

In April of 2021 this activity was updated with a more recent recording from the 2020 National Arts Action Summit.

During this webinar, attendees will:

Learn about the federal funding prohibitions for arts in transportation and transit projects
Understand the impact of the provisions on communities across the U.S.
Leave with information and resources to engage with their U.S. House of Representatives on the issue of federal funding for arts in transportation and transit.

Patricia Walsh

Public Art & Civic Design Senior Program Manager

Americans for the Arts

As the Public Art & Civic Design Senior Program Manager,Patricia Walsh overseas five program areas under the Equity + Local ArtsEngagement department including Arts and Community Development; Arts in CivicDesign; Creative Placemaking; Cultural Districts, Trails and Tourism; andPublic Art. Through her work she engages with and works to educate local artsagency leaders on how to utilize the arts to equitably address community needsand goals. Her work aims to support professional development, resource buildingand networking opportunities for arts administrators to utilize the arts tocreate accessible public spaces, enable inclusive and equitable communitydevelopment, and ensure the arts are an active component in equitable economicgrowth and sustainability.

Patricia is a member of the Arts and Planning Interest GroupSteering Committee for American Planning Association, co-chair for theWashington District Council on Placemaking for Urban Land Institute, and anartist selection committee member for two projects with the City of Rockville,Maryland.

She holds a Master of Science in Arts Administration from BostonUniversity, a Bachelor of Arts in painting from State University of New York atPlattsburgh, and an Associates in Applied Science in Commercial Art fromDutchess Community College.

Lauren Cohen

Government Affairs and Grassroots Manager

Americans for the Arts

At Americans for the Arts, Lauren works with the Federal Affairs team in federal lobbying and government affairs activities, including composing position statements, monitoring federal legislation, drafting legislative proposals, coalition building with the Congressional Arts Caucus and other Congressional staff. She enjoys teaching others how to become compelling arts advocates and how to pursue strong arts policy. Prior to joining Americans for the Arts, Lauren worked for a member of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives for over two years where she managed the arts, humanities, and museums portfolio. Before coming to Washington, DC, Lauren worked for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Williamsburg, Virginia. There, she held positions in the Education Outreach, Historical Interpretations, and Curatorial departments. Lauren earned her Master of Arts degree in Public History from James Madison University and her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Tennessee. Lauren's passion for the arts began at age three when she first started ballet lessons and continues to this day as she enjoys dance and theater performances, museums, and art shows.