Know Before You Go: Arts Surveys Headed to November 2nd Election Candidates

At ASI, advocacy for the arts and cultural sector is an important part of what we do in service of the area’s independent artists, 500+ not for profit cultural organizations, their thousands of employees, and the hundreds of thousands who invest in the cultural sector through their attendance, service, and donations.

Each election cycle, Arts Services Inc. poses a series of questions to candidates running for elected office across the region, focusing on the legislative and executive branches. Arts and culture is an important contributor to the area’s economic development, tourism, quality of life, education, and national identity. With severe impacts continuing from COVID-19, support for this essential industry is vital. As such, ASI feels it is important to gauge our candidates’ views on key issues that directly impact the arts and cultural sector.

Survey responses are distributed unedited (except for those answers that exceed the word limit in the optional comment section) in various local Western New York media sources prior to the general election. Those candidates who do not respond are listed in the publications and noted as “Chose not to respond to survey.”

This year, all candidates’ answers will be made available throughout the election season electronically via Rise Collaborative, ASI, The Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance, The Cultural Alliance of Niagara, and many cultural organizations and our community partners. It is estimated that this survey is seen by well over 75,000 constituents of the arts and cultural community and others.

This year ASI has sent surveys to candidates in the following races:

Our website will be updated with these responses once they are received.