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National Endowment for the Arts and Circus Arts Category Recognition
19 Plays1 month ago
#NEA #NationalEndowmentForTheArts #CircusArts #Circus
Please consider Signing our Change.org Petition Seeking Circus Arts Recognition in the U.S:
https://www.change.org/CircusArtsRecognition
On this solo episode of the Circuspreneur Podcast, host Shenea Stiletto discusses the recent impacts to the Circus Arts industry after the National Endowment for the Arts was forced to cancel Arts Grants awarded all across America. The current Administration is also seeking to issue a zero budget for the NEA moving forward, and Shenea Stiletto discusses what efforts are being made in Congress to prevent this. Plus how do these recent developments affect pursuing Circus Arts Category Recognition in the U.S by the NEA.
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Transcript
Introduction and EDC Performance Highlights
00:00:02
Circuspreneur Podcast
Hi Circuspreneurs, this is your host, Shanae Stiletto, and welcome to this solo episode. I am back. I've been performing at EDC in Las Vegas, and that was quite the epic effort and whirlwind.
00:00:21
Circuspreneur Podcast
I could say so many things, but if you know, you know. There was no cell reception and we were just performing our little hearts out all day and all night. And it was a lot of fun, but a lot of work.
Partnership with Salvage City Supper Club and Mayfair
00:00:37
Circuspreneur Podcast
i was performing at Salvage City Supper Club um in partnership with the Mayfair at the Bellagio.
00:00:45
Circuspreneur Podcast
So that was a really cool concept. It was so different and so unique um and so interesting. And who knows, maybe in the future I'll have the owner, Paul, ah come on to the podcast and be a guest. He is a very important guy.
00:01:02
Circuspreneur Podcast
So, but it's, it's, it's, it's just really a cute concept. And if you go to my Instagram, Shanae Stiletto, you can see some of the clips that I posted on my social media about my performances at EDC. And maybe you were there. Maybe we missed each other.
00:01:23
Circuspreneur Podcast
maybe you were at circuit grounds and we were just performing in passing or thank you to all of the local circus players.
00:01:33
Circuspreneur Podcast
performers and circus people that came by because they were living it up at EDC. It was really fun to see everyone come out and yeah, and support the show.
Exclusive EDC VIP Experience
00:01:48
Circuspreneur Podcast
um It was a very exclusive VIP package put on by EDC. And I think this was the third year that they had it. So it's fun. And it was fun being a part of such a, I think, innovative concept. Because when they said dinner theater show at EDC, for those of you who are into like EDM and electronic music, I was like, how does that work?
00:02:12
Circuspreneur Podcast
Like, can we hear each other? And if you can hear the raspiness in my voice, it's because i was there, you know, we were there just all day and all night and it is incredibly loud at EDC and you are working within that type of sound. And, you know, they do all the sound checks to make sure, or they at least try that each stage doesn't kind of like bleed into another stage. But I mean, even within that, you're just in this really loud kind of like bopping environment of the entire time.
00:02:48
Circuspreneur Podcast
And yeah, it was cool. um The last time I'd been to EDC was in Montreal. Shout out to everyone from Quebec and from Montreal. It was so much fun the last time I was there. So it had been a minute.
00:03:04
Circuspreneur Podcast
And for anyone who has not had a Montreal summer, highly, highly, highly recommend beyond even just the circus that is an epic full force and full swing for the summertime and everybody that's local that is super excited to see um the winter break.
00:03:24
Circuspreneur Podcast
Finally, Montreal is just gorgeous in the summertime and I just can't say enough things about it for all the time that I have spent in Montreal. So we are in full swing of summer.
Challenges in Circus Arts Recognition
00:03:37
Circuspreneur Podcast
And this podcast is important because there has been so much going on in then with the National Endowment for the Arts in America. For those of you that are not familiar that have been looking at arts recognition or circus arts recognition by UNESCO all over the world,
00:03:55
Circuspreneur Podcast
Our recognition would come from the National Endowment for the Arts because we cannot get recognition for the circus arts from UNESCO. And um we're probably even further away from the UNESCO possibility now due to now the current administration's and pathway that they have laid out.
00:04:15
Circuspreneur Podcast
and continue to. And so it's kind of like a day by day thing for those that are paying attention to the news and for those that have been impacted by the recent developments with the NEA, which I'm going to discuss because there's been so much happening and I'm in so many different meetings and so many different groups.
00:04:37
Circuspreneur Podcast
and getting so many different updates ah coming in. And I really have wanted to, if you've obviously been following the Circuspreneur podcast, Instagram account, I am posting as many updates as possible, um telling folks where to put their energy and where to focus and where to concentrate and who to support.
00:04:59
Circuspreneur Podcast
And um because it, you know, it's obviously been a very sad time for the circus arts. because there's been so many grants that have been canceled.
00:05:10
Circuspreneur Podcast
There's also been circus arts grants that were not canceled. And, you know, folks and organizations got their got their money and spent it. Spent it before they could do anything about it. and I know that there were several that appealed the canceling of their grants and using that as a protest.
00:05:33
Circuspreneur Podcast
And also, too, not that it wouldn't work. And I'd love to hear who has maybe appealed and maybe won. um i don't think
NEA Funding Uncertainty
00:05:43
Circuspreneur Podcast
that we would know at this point if they have won, be honest, just in terms of how things are going and the speed of which things are happening.
00:05:50
Circuspreneur Podcast
I would say that this has been the most quiet week. As Congress is still continuing to appropriate the funds for the NEA for the National Endowment for the Arts, there has been so much staff that has resigned from the NEA. So, so many of the familiar faces and names at the NEA that we've all you know grown to know and communicate with and have a rapport with have stepped down.
00:06:18
Circuspreneur Podcast
and um new folks are moving in. they i think I believe the new chair for the NEA was appointed during the last administration last time that this administration was in office.
00:06:33
Circuspreneur Podcast
She was also the chair and um she's the big proponent of the arts, which is interesting. She's outside, it she's out of Florida, a very conservative ah leaning background.
00:06:44
Circuspreneur Podcast
But for all intensive purposes, for those that feel as though the NEA will completely lose all of its funding, that this administration has introduced the zero budget for the National Endowment for the Arts moving forward.
00:06:57
Circuspreneur Podcast
So that's essentially what they are calling for. But they did this the last time as well. and um And they were blocked and unable to do it. And even in the midst of them calling for a zero budget, they appointed someone as chair of the NEA who wants the NEA to be there.
00:07:16
Circuspreneur Podcast
So it's a really odd Right. um You know, kind of inter not intersection, but kind of like, and you know, whatever you want to call it. Does it make sense?
00:07:29
Circuspreneur Podcast
Confusing, um odd, hurtful. So many questions around that. But um from the feedback that I'm getting. There is the NEA should be moving forward with all of its funding. Now, again, that can change in an hour. it can change tomorrow. and It can change right after I put this out there. But they don't have full power, which is what I'm trying to tell you listeners.
00:07:58
Circuspreneur Podcast
is that the folks that are in charge of the NEA getting their full funding are seeking to make sure that the NEA and the NEH, which is the National Endowment for Humanities, has its full funding. Okay, so those are the level levers of government working in the ways that they're that they have the power to work.
00:08:17
Circuspreneur Podcast
And so bipartisanship is usually what what happens in terms of NEA funding and bipartisanship for those that are unfamiliar means that basically everyone on the left, on the right, in the middle, independent, usually unanimously agrees to funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. I know that it doesn't sound like that.
00:08:37
Circuspreneur Podcast
I know it doesn't seem like that in the media, but bye it is like that. And from again, all the DC um environments that I am in um They are assuring everyone that the NEA will be fully funded for the fiscal um year that is coming up, um that they are working on very aggressively right now um within the Appropriations Committee.
00:09:03
Circuspreneur Podcast
And there are, again, several petitions out there that you can sign. Americans for the Arts has a really amazing petition and effort. Our petition from the Circus Arts Guilds of America seeking circus arts category recognition, which I will discuss now.
00:09:21
Circuspreneur Podcast
That petition is very important for everyone to sign and circulate. I mean, I wish that we had just, you know, 10,000 signatures by now. But we don't, but we could with the force of the circus arts in America.
00:09:36
Circuspreneur Podcast
We've had that petition out since last year. And it is sadly right now gaining a lot of momentum, which is fortunate and unfortunate because I do always feel that within the space of you know crises, that's when we tend to show up and utilize things that have been there to try to prevent these crises.
00:10:01
Circuspreneur Podcast
So you know again, please sign the petition. I'm definitely not saying not to sign it. And I'm grateful that it is picking up steam right now and we're getting all of these signatures and and donations that to support it. the the the the m The link to our change.org petition is always in the show notes. It's always in the comments.
00:10:22
Circuspreneur Podcast
I am constantly posting it because it'll just continue to accrue the um you know as many signatures as we can possibly get. And we are consistently actually submitting this petition to our members in government, um you know, just to, you know, to show them because it's a great representation to consistently show them that there is public support for the circus arts category recognition and and that there's just support from the industry who would benefit so much from circus arts category recognition ah by the National Endowment for the Arts if it were to happen. now
00:10:59
Circuspreneur Podcast
There is now the push as well to try and protect all of the art that exists within the NEA. And again, we don't know what they're going to continue to do. We don't know how they're going to continue to shape the NEA.
00:11:12
Circuspreneur Podcast
They are shaping it now, right now, currently in their own image. and taking out all of the things that make art art. um But there, again, in speaking with so many different ah perspectives in the art world, those that are like, you know what, we will find a way. We actually thought that what we were doing fit within those specific new guidelines. And so we're very surprised that our our grants were canceled because even though the guidelines had changed, we thought that we completely fit within that.
00:11:44
Circuspreneur Podcast
And so again, there's a lot of different talk, um, and you know, around, you know, what, um, you know, what fits into these new guidelines and actually like, what does not, um, you know, do you, if you show up looking like me, do you fit into a grant? No, you don't.
00:12:04
Circuspreneur Podcast
Um, in most cases, ah you know, so again, but that's not set in stone. And again, speaking to so many diverse communities and hearing their feedback and seeing the grant schedules of, you know, of who these grants were going to and in what capacity. If you know of a space or you're connected to a space that would like to discuss
Crowdfunding Success Stories
00:12:25
Circuspreneur Podcast
their grant cancellation or their grant um in uncertainty or insecurity on the Circus Manural podcast, send them to me.
00:12:33
Circuspreneur Podcast
I would love to um highlight a journey. There's also been so many um environments that when they announced that they were losing their grant, they were able to crowdfund more than what they were going to be awarded in like one day.
00:12:48
Circuspreneur Podcast
So I'm hearing, you know, again, stories of oh ah beautiful hope and of folks, you know, doing right by um environments that did not deserve this. I'm also seeing folks asking, are the NEA even going to be awarding grants moving forward? And that has nothing even to do with their budget. It's just like, how many grants are, you know, is some other agency going to come in and like block, again, continuing to block those grants? Are they even going to start issuing grants? And what do those grants
00:13:19
Circuspreneur Podcast
look like, is circus arts going to have continued access to grants in the way that it that it has most recently? Obviously, again, specific to these new guidelines and fitting within those because should you go and seek those out? Yes, because the money will be there.
00:13:35
Circuspreneur Podcast
And i every environment that could have access to it deserves to have access to those funds. If they can, in their own way, find a solution to fitting into those requirements and guidelines, whether or not people want to do that, that's up to that's up to them. you know Again, i know that there's, again, the wills of government that are fighting hard to make sure that those funds are still available and they're able to be dispersed, even if they're going to be dispersed in that in that in that patriotic way.
00:14:09
Circuspreneur Podcast
suffer for those that are, ah you know, following ah kind of what this is what is, what is happening and what this is about. And so we are definitely continuing to navigate and pursuing circus arts category recognition in the way that we will be able to and working with the offices that are supporting us to be able to do that and pivoting and understanding what this new world, you know, essentially feels like and what protections they can, you know, kind of issue ah for all of the art forms um within the NEA and the way that they exist now and in the future, because we have another
00:14:52
Circuspreneur Podcast
We don't know how long ah to pursue moving forward again, because the arts just seems to be, ah you know kind of caught within these crosshairs of negotiations and, um you know, and, ah you know, folks wanting to make statements, unfortunately.
00:15:10
Circuspreneur Podcast
So, you know, if you're in the arts right now, i you know, and in the circus arts, it would, you know, it would it would do some good to be paying attention to what's coming out. um I also wanted to mention quickly as well, the Performing Artist Tax Parody Act.
00:15:26
Circuspreneur Podcast
If you have been following that, the podcast has been following the inclusion of the Parody Act and and Unfortunately, in the most recent tax bill, it actually was not included in the most recent big tax bill.
00:15:41
Circuspreneur Podcast
It could have been, but it was not. And so now it heads to the Senate. So now we need to get Senate support for the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act. And so that is a really big one for all of us that live and breathe in the circus arts because it's our extended write-offs for tax season, which just ended.
00:16:02
Circuspreneur Podcast
And so for those that you know are independent contractors, and self-employed and um you know got a big bill from the IRS or you know paid more than you thought you were going to be be be be forced to pay ah because nobody pays it willingly.
00:16:22
Circuspreneur Podcast
Nobody likes to pay their taxes, um depending on what schedule you're on. i had some really great tax guidance on the podcast a few months ago. and Jeffrey, Jeff, he's just absolutely phenomenal fellow artist and brilliant tax whiz for creatives, which is what's most important.
00:16:42
Circuspreneur Podcast
So, you know, again, the Performing Arts Parody Act, parody act needs support to get um introduced into the Senate and then get passed and into the next stages of an appropriations package for that.
00:16:57
Circuspreneur Podcast
And sometimes my words aren't exactly specifically right on. So again, please Google that and find that for yourself. It's essentially along the lines of what I'm saying. And there's just maybe a few words that are not DC specific, but I always like to remind everyone, I am not a lobbyist.
00:17:17
Circuspreneur Podcast
I'm not a politician, but I do listen and I do learn a lot. And I try to learn as best as I can so that I can communicate that properly um to ah listeners who I just want to support and love and ah be there for. And so I know this has been a very challenging, very, very challenging ah past couple of weeks and past couple of months for all of us in knowing like, where do we go and what do we do and what do we pursue and who do we need to call?
00:17:48
Circuspreneur Podcast
And it always comes back to, again, call your representative. And if you are outside of the country and you feel called to send, ah you know, an email or a phone call,
00:18:02
Circuspreneur Podcast
ah you can You can do that as well. you know you can you can You can do that as well. You don't have to live in the States to be able to advocate for the circus arts in the States.
00:18:13
Circuspreneur Podcast
And um you know again you know, ah sign our petition and send it to your local representative and say, hey, you know, the circus arts is pursuing category recognition and we need the NEA to be protected to be able to continue to pursue that recognition that would give us so much access to so many benefits and just so many increased rights for the circus arts industry. So those things do matter.
State Arts Council Funding Updates
00:18:40
Circuspreneur Podcast
You know, I would have my entire studio, my entire circus network call every representative on the local state level and on the federal level. I would just be calling and calling and calling and calling because I and emailing and emailing and emailing and having as many meetings as I can get and um calling as well myself, right?
00:19:02
Circuspreneur Podcast
you It matters when they hear that many phone calls and they hear that many statements protecting something or against something or for something. It does matter, but it has to you know it has to be an uproar.
00:19:17
Circuspreneur Podcast
So you know do your circus arts industry uproar. And we will continue to navigate this together. And i will be giving updates periodically as I have them. And again, if you have some circus folks and industry workers in any capacity that want to discuss their current journey,
00:19:45
Circuspreneur Podcast
um or share some extensive information on the podcast because I'm sharing ah lot um and um and very, very, very up to date um as much as possible with my information and waiting until I know and enough.
00:20:02
Circuspreneur Podcast
But, um you know, I will say this as well is that on the state level, ah Many state councils um are have been protected um from this, so they have not lost their funding.
00:20:14
Circuspreneur Podcast
That's really great and good news for the arts moving forward. There are some things that are being protected are not being canceled or restricted.
00:20:27
Circuspreneur Podcast
and are not being um you know canceled or restricted um ah So that is you know that is great. The Nevada Arts Council, for example, wanted everyone to know specifically that their state funding was not touched, you know, the awards and things that they have in motion were not being canceled, their funds.
00:20:48
Circuspreneur Podcast
And again, I don't want to say too many different words because I don't want to make a mistake in the way that I communicate the information that I have. And if you want to know specifically, please just, you know, go on social media and um do those searches.
00:21:04
Circuspreneur Podcast
They've been really great about announcing information as it comes up, but you know, attend your town halls, attend your webinars as they come up for different nonprofits that are focused on advocating for the arts and speak on the circus arts, you know, speak on the circus arts specifically. And I always say that because it matters, especially with the journey and the fight that we've been on with all the policies that we're trying to get introduced specifically three.
00:21:33
Circuspreneur Podcast
It matters that you don't just say, I'm here supporting the arts. It matters, I'm here supporting the circus arts and the arts, right? I'm here to articulate my individualized need as an industry worker, as an industry advocate or you know hobbyist or lover, because those specifics are what elevate us and continue to elevate us so that we don't get lost in the shuffle within so much chaos happening.
00:22:01
Circuspreneur Podcast
And so we are accentuated and remembered, which is so incredibly important. So thank you for tuning in to this.
Podcast Promotion and Sponsorship Acknowledgements
00:22:11
Circuspreneur Podcast
solo episode of the Circuspreneur podcast. I'm your host, Shanae Stiletto.
00:22:16
Circuspreneur Podcast
And I am so, you know, fortunate to, again, advocate for the circus arts industry with the Circus Arts Guild of America and to just have candid conversations about the circus arts industry all around the world, which is continuously r jam and doing it.
00:22:38
Circuspreneur Podcast
in the highest capacity and quality that we possibly can. And so please like and subscribe to the podcast. Please share the podcast, share episodes, um tag us on social media, repost us, ah subscribe to our YouTube channel, subscribe to wherever you listen the podcast. And always a shout out to stagelink.com, our sponsor, which we are so grateful for that amplifies the podcast.
00:23:08
Circuspreneur Podcast
and continues to carve out ah special place specifically for the circus arts industry, which is vast, which is burgeoning, which needs to continue to be respected and have extended and extensive rights across the board in all capacities. So until next time, everyone, please stay safe and stay healthy.