Ovation Announces Launch Of New National Arts Initiative: "Stand For The Arts"

WASHINGTON, March 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- At the Americans for the Arts Action Fund reception held in Washington, DC last night for participants of Arts Advocacy Day, Sonia Tower, SVP of Corporate Relations for Ovation and President of the Ovation Foundation, announced the launch of a new national initiative called Stand For The Arts. Designed to raise awareness, protect access, and encourage action on behalf of the arts, the initiative is supported through its robust website and online community: www.standforthearts.com. Also speaking at the event were Robert Lynch, CEO of Americans for the Arts; Nina Ozlu Tunceli, Executive Director, the Americans for the Arts Action Fund; and Alec Baldwin, actor and arts advocate.

"For the past five years, Ovation, America's only arts network, has been a generous supporter of Arts Advocacy Day," said Tower. "Because of the tremendous efforts of Americans for the Arts, its Arts Action Fund and the over 85 national arts organizations who join the Capitol Hill chorus of support for the arts every year, they have managed to stave off deep cuts. We know how powerful that kind of support can be. Stand For The Arts opens the door to millions more who love and support the arts and want to become involved. It is a much-needed resource for action."

Stand For The Arts will periodically recognize publicly-funded arts organizations, agencies, and institutions as its official causes. These causes are highlighted on the homepage of the www.standforthearts.com website and are promoted in its online community. Current causes highlighted on the site include:

• The National Endowment for the Arts - NEA funding is just 80% of what is was a decade ago.
• California Arts Council - Over the past 10 years, the California Arts Council lost 94% of its funding from the state.
• Americans for the Arts Action Fund - The nation's premier arts advocacy organization seeks the support of citizen arts activists.

"The challenges facing the arts in our society are very real. Between tax reform, budget battles and education reauthorization, support for the arts and arts education is more crucial this year than ever before," said Charles Segars, CEO of Ovation. "Arts advocates are here today to make their voices heard. Through Stand For The Arts we are extending the opportunity to take action to everyone who shares our concern for the future of the arts."

About Arts Advocacy Day

Hosted by Americans for the Arts and co-sponsored by 85+ national arts organizations, National Arts Advocacy is the largest gathering of its kind, bringing together a broad cross section of America's cultural and civic organizations. Grassroots advocates from across the country come to Washington DC to meet with their members of Congress in support of issues like arts education policy, the charitable tax deduction and funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.

About Ovation

Ovation is America's only arts network, whose mission is to inspire the world through all forms of art and artistic expression. Ovation programming is a one-of-a-kind mix of original and selectively curated art-centric series, documentaries, films and specials. Ovation's signature programming includes The Art Of, A Young Doctor's Notebook, and The Fashion Fund. Ovation reaches a national audience of over 50 million homes and is available on cable, satellite, and telco systems, such as Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Comcast Cable/Xfinity, RCN, DIRECTV, DISH, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse, Charter, and Hawaiian Telcom. Ovation is also available on VOD (in both standard and high definition). Ovation's diversified viewer experiences extend across its linear network, the popular ovationtv.com, and active social presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more. Ovation is a cause based-media company and is deeply engaged with the arts both nationally and locally, providing more than $15 million in contributions and in-kind support to community organizations, cultural institutions, and arts education programs. See the Ovation Facebook page for the latest information and conversations happening across the Ovation brand and the arts: www.facebook.com/OvationTV.

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SOURCE Ovation