Citing the success of the new Sage Gateshead performing arts center, the location of the organization's 19th International Congress, the Board of Directors of the International Society for the Performing Arts (I.S.P.A.) today voted to approve a statement affirming the importance of the arts and urging leaders at all levels of government throughout the world to support the arts, artists and arts organizations, and arts education in their communities, cities, and nations.

I.S.P.A.'s Board, supported by the 210 delegates from 28 countries who are attending the Congress and who represent the continents of Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Africa, voted to endorse a statement urging the world's governments at all levels to acknowledge that the arts:

• have the capacity to connect people of all ages, ethnic origins, and economic and social backgrounds with their own imaginations and cultures;
• allow audiences opportunities to unlock their capacities for creative expression and enjoyment;
• allow people to bridge cultural barriers that might otherwise divide them;
• play an important role in the lives of young people, and should be an integral part of the school curriculum at all grade levels;
• provide demonstrable economic benefits to communities, cities, and regions through performances, performing arts facilities, employment for artists, managers, and support personnel, increased tax revenues, tourism, and ancillary commercial, retail, and residential development, construction, and activity.

I.S.P.A.'s Board noted that support of the arts among governments and leaders around the world ranges from enthusiastic advocacy and generous funding to disengagement, disparagement, and direct hostility and opposition. Even in countries and communities where substantial government support exists, I.S.P.A. members report that some elected leaders express the belief that their constituencies do not want them to identify themselves with the arts, arts education, and arts funding. On the other hand, the Society cites numerous studies around the world that have documented overwhelmingly favorable attitudes amongst the public towards the arts, their acknowledgement of importance of arts education, and their desire for public funding support of the arts.

The Directors and members of I.S.P.A. point to the Sage Gateshead as a prime example of a major arts facility that, throughout the more than 20 years of planning, design, and construction, and in the first six months since its opening, has played a profound role in the regeneration of the North East of England, through the attractiveness of its building, the excellence and internationalism of its programs, its embrace of participation as well as professional performance, its welcoming of vernacular and popular cultures along with classical cultures, its connection to the community, and the public-private partnership that generated its construction and operations. The Society cited a recent study conducted in Gateshead and Newcastle that found that audience perceptions of the value of the arts was affirmed by 93 percent of respondents.

With the example of the Sage Gateshead and many others in mind, the International Society for the Performing Arts urges leaders at all levels of government throughout the world publicly to promote and support the arts, artists, arts education, the development and operation of arts facilities, and public funding of the arts for their constituencies.

The mission of the International Society for the Performing Arts is advocacy with audiences and politicians to unlock the potential of the arts to change lives and change society. Founded in 1947, I.S.P.A. is comprised 350 members from 52 countries in five continents, including artists, performing arts center directors, arts presenters and managers, and consultants.

For further information, please contact Johann Zietsman, Executive Director, +1 914 921 1550 (jzietsman@ispa.org).

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