A conversation with

The Honorable Tom Udall, United States Senator, New Mexico

Melody C. Barnes, Chair, Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions

Robert Lynch, President, Americans for the Arts

moderated by: Damian Woetzel, Director, Aspen Institute Arts Program

Watch Live:

What is the past, present, and future intersection of the arts and government in America? Join Arts Program Director Damian Woetzel for this conversation with three distinguished leaders who have put the arts forward as a logical partner with government for progress in America.

As a member of the Senate Cultural Caucus, Sen.Tom Udall has authored the CREATE Act, legislation aimed at the development of art businesses, jobs, and the growth of the creative economy in his home state of New Mexico and across the nation. In her former role as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions Chair Melody Barnes worked with the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities to produce the landmark report Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future Through Creative Schools, creating a new energy around arts education in America. With more than 40 years of experience in the arts industry, Robert Lynch leads Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit organization which works to ensure that every American has access to the transformative power of the arts.