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In this values-driven manifesto, NEFA’s Executive Director Harold Steward argues that creativity is an essential, inherent public good like water and should not require constant justification. Facing fall outs from cuts to federal arts agencies, shrinking philanthropic risk-taking, and political pressures that threaten artistic freedom and access, Steward urges a humanistic reframing: the urgent task is not to prove art’s value but to secure the conditions that allow art and artists to thrive equitably across communities.
As NEFA enters its 50th year, Steward acknowledges the organization’s strategy to meet this moment: a renewed commitment to building collaborative infrastructure, amplifying artists’ voices in policy and civic life, and strengthening organizational capacity. Anchored by a $17 million trust-based gift and a forthcoming multi-year Adaptive Arts Framework, NEFA calls for organized, sustained civic engagement & action, advocacy, and coalition-building, to protect creative freedom and ensure creativity flows for everyone.