About | Empower Arts Advocacy Today — Creative States Coalition

Our Mission

To serve as a coalition of state-level arts and culture advocacy leaders that initiates, supports, strengthens, and elevates action for arts sector growth at the state and local level through collaboration, education, capacity building, and public policy development.

Our Vision

A United States where every state is backed by a sustainable, collaborative arts and culture advocacy coalition that prioritizes justice in building a robust, equitable, and culturally aware society.

See our Strategic Plan

Our Values

We prioritize justice in every decision we make, striving to build a more inclusive and equitable model of cultural advocacy that reflects the diversity of our communities.
We are committed to continuous learning and growth, seeking opportunities to expand the arts, culture, and creative industries toward a more effective and sustainable future.
We set clear, measurable goals to ensure our advocacy efforts represent the voices and needs of individual artists, creative workers, culture bearers, and cultural organizations.
We foster respectful and constructive conversations, embracing dialogue that drives progress toward cultural equity in the arts and creative sectors.
We embrace diverse perspectives and innovative ideas, using them to inspire new approaches and models for arts and culture advocacy at both the state and national levels.

What We Do

programs

We Provide Advocacy Education

We provide resources and learning opportunities for advocates, equipping them with the knowledge and tools necessary to engage in impactful advocacy for the arts, culture, and creative industries.
We Build Capacity

Our coalition is committed to enhancing the ability of arts organizations, creative workers, and policymakers to advocate for sustainable and equitable policies. We support the growth of the arts advocacy field through strategic capacity-building initiatives.
We Prioritize Collaboration

We bring together arts and cultural advocacy leaders from across the country, fostering partnerships that strengthen and elevate collective efforts toward arts sector growth at state and local levels.
We Advance Public Policy

We develop public policy that empowers the arts and culture sector. Through informed advocacy, we aim to influence policy at the local, state, and federal level.

Frequently Asked Questions

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CSC is currently funded through memberships and by seed grants from the six Regional Art Organizations (ROA) – Arts Midwest, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Mid-Atlantic Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, South Arts, and Western States Arts Federation; as well as through the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Membership in the Creative States Coalition (CSC) offers access to a national network of arts advocates, professional development opportunities, and advocacy support to strengthen the creative sector. Members benefit from strategic partnerships, resource sharing, and capacity-building programs that enhance organizational effectiveness. CSC also provides visibility, funding insights, and innovative solutions to drive systemic change and elevate the arts nationwide.
CSC Membership is ‘pay-what-you-can’ at a level appropriate for your organization. We recommend a $250 annual membership contribution.

Leadership Team

Get to know the team driving our vision forward.

leadership

David Holland

CSC Co-Chair — David serves as Creative West’s Deputy Director
Claire Rice

CSC Co-Chair — Claire serves as Arts Alliance Illinois’ Executive Director
Nate McGaha

CSC Co-Chair — Nate serves as Arts North Carolina’s Executive Director
Nicholas Cohen

CSC Partnerships & Resourcing Co-Chair — Nicholas serves as the Executive Director for Maryland Citizens for the Arts
Meredith Badler

CSC Capacity Building Co-Chair — Meredith serves as the Deputy Director for the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA)
Candace Thompson-Zachary

CSC Membership/Governance Co-Chair
Brittany Johnson

CSC Capacity Building Co-Chair —Brittany serves as Director of Communications for Creative Arkansas Community Hub & Exchange
Eduardo Robles

CSC Partnerships & Resourcing Co-Chair — Eduardo serves as Director of Communications for California for the Arts
Mollie Cashwell

CSC Membership/Governance Co-Chair — Mollie serves as Director of the Cultural Alliance of Maine
Rychetta Watkins

CSC Leadership Committee Member At-Large — Rychetta serves as Vice President, Grantmaking and Capacity Building at Memphis Music Initiative
Alejandra Duque Cifuentes

CSC Co-Chair Elect and Leadership Committee Member At-Large — Alejandra serves as Principal of ADC Consulting
Emily Ruddock

CSC Leadership Committee Member At-Large — Emily serves as Executive Director MassCreative

Our Members

CSC represents over 37 states with employees and volunteers located throughout the nation that are engaged in national, state, and local arts and cultural advocacy.

Become a Member