By Kate Kight
Washington DC (The Hollywood Times) 4/29/18 – In a divided nation, the arts can bridge partisan divides and remind us of our shared humanity. The Right to Bear Arts gala brought together stars and activists to advocate for our country’s need to invest in arts and arts education.
“Art inspires culture, culture inspires politics, politics inspire change,” said Karamo Brown (Queer Eye), quoting an adage that drove him to come out to DC, spend the day lobbying on the hill and the evening celebrating the work of The Creative Coalition.
A delegation of actors and artists spent the day lobbying Congress on behalf of art, in DC and around the country,. “Today was phenomenal,” said Brown. Despite the fact that he and many of his co-delegates share very different political positions from the elected officials they met with, he spoke of the respect and love that comes from working on a common issue.
DC’s thriving arts community is often left out of discussions of the “swamp”, but as Senator Paul Strauss says, “42% of D.C. residents attended some kinds of arts exhibit in the past year. As the shadow Senator of the District of Columbia, he understands firsthand that access to the arts is a privilege that not everyone can access. With more public investment, arts can reach into more communities and inspire students to dream and to create.
The Right to Bear Arts gala celebrates this possibility, and bridges the divide between Hollywood fame and the halls of power in D.C. The delegation included Tim Daly (Madam Secretary), Alyssa Milano (Project Runway All Stars), Sara Rue (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Shiri Appleby (UnREAL), Mädchen Amick (Riverdale), Karamo Brown (Queer Eye), Richard Schiff (The Good Doctor), Nicholas Gonzalez (The Good Doctor), Victoria Justice (Victorious), Steve Howey (Shameless), Anthony Carrigan (“Barry”), and Sean Giambrone (The Goldbergs).
Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community, The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating its members on issues of public importance. The Creative Coalition uses the power and platform of the arts and entertainment communities in award-winning public service and advocacy campaigns. Actor Tim Daly serves as the organization’s president
Robin Bronk, CEO of The Creative Coalition says, “The Arts remind us what is great about America and inspire us to make our world a better place. They are the greatest messenger for social welfare. The arts are not a red issue, nor a blue issue, they are a human issue. Arts are a commodity for all.”
