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Ever since the administration of President Donald Trump began canceling National Endowment for the Arts grants last year, the arts funding landscape in the United States has been marked by uncertainty.

Arts funding will be at the top of the agenda this week when over 1,000 cultural leaders, policymakers and artists from across the country gather at Hotel sa国际传媒官网网页入口 for a conference hosted by Washington-based arts advocacy nonprofit Americans for the Arts. AFTACON is the organization鈥檚 flagship annual event, and 2026 is sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 first year hosting it. The conference begins Tuesday, June 2, and runs through June 5.

鈥淚t鈥檚 probably an understatement to say that it鈥檚 a challenging moment for the arts,鈥� Erin Harkey, CEO of Americans for the Arts, said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing lots of instability at the federal government level in terms of funding to our local arts and cultural organizations. On top of that, I think the field is rapidly changing, as new technologies emerge and audience behaviors continue to change.鈥�

Arts funding is sometimes framed as a partisan issue, but Harkey believes there is still robust support for the arts on both sides of the aisle.

鈥淚 do believe the arts remain a nonpartisan issue in this country. Seventy-six percent of Americans believe that the arts are personally important to them,鈥� she said, citing a 2023 Americans for the Arts conducted.

Harkey pointed out that, even though the president鈥檚 budget last year essentially zeroed out funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a bipartisan effort, led by Republican members of Congress, restored funding to all three agencies.

鈥淪o, to paint a broad stroke that this is a partisan issue is maybe just (looking at the) surface. As you dig a little bit deeper, I think you realize that (the arts) is something that continues to bind us as a country,鈥� Harkey said.

When the arts do lose funding, it hits poorer and more remote communities harder, she said.

鈥淭he lack of support is especially detrimental in rural and other hard-to-reach communities, where there isn鈥檛 an alternative public funding mechanism, or there鈥檚 not a large base of philanthropy or high-net-worth individuals,鈥� Harkey said. 鈥溾�� So, as we start to talk about the importance of public funding, it really is a question of access and opportunity.鈥�

On the other hand, although New Mexico is one of the poorest and most rural states in the nation, Harkey said it prioritizes arts and culture.

Harkey said one of the keys to the state鈥檚 success is having strong partnerships at both the state and local levels.

鈥淏oth of those combined means that there鈥檚 really significant opportunities, and that鈥檚 reflected in the cultural vitality of the city of sa国际传媒官网网页入口 and other cities in the state,鈥� Harkey said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we鈥檙e so excited to come and shine a spotlight on all the wonderful and creative things that are happening there.鈥�

Harkey called sa国际传媒官网网页入口 鈥渢he perfect place for this moment.鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot that New Mexico 鈥� and sa国际传媒官网网页入口 specifically 鈥� can offer to the national landscape in thinking about how culture is celebrated and supported,鈥� she said.

The conference will feature many high-profile figures, including former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Juli谩n Castro and Hollywood star Molly Ringwald, both of whom will join Kristina Newman-Scott, the vice president of arts for the Knight Foundation, for a plenary discussion on Wednesday, June 3.

鈥淭hat will be a really exciting, iconoclastic moment,鈥� Harkey said. 鈥溾�� They鈥檙e going to be talking about the role of artists in helping to shape and inform a democracy.鈥�

Although the conference is sold out, Harkey encourages anyone who cares about arts and culture and who wants to get more involved to go to the Americans for the Arts website, , and sign up for their action alerts.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of information on the website about how you can connect with your members of Congress and communicate to them how the arts are important,鈥� Harkey said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a number of advocacy-related tools on the website that can give people instructions about how to engage with political leadership at a time when advocacy from local constituents is the most important thing.鈥�

Harkey became CEO of Americans for the Arts in March 2025, just before the federal funding cuts began. Instead of getting discouraged, she said she spent most of the year traveling the country and meeting with local arts leaders and policymakers.

鈥淭he most important thing we can be focused on right now is what鈥檚 happening locally in our communities,鈥� Harkey said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 also why an event like AFTACON, which is a hyperlocal program, is so important. Being able to take care of your neighbors and your immediate community, and the ability of local governments to impact people in a very direct way, are what we need to be focused on. I think all of that instability (at the federal level) gave us an opportunity to refocus on how we go about advocating for things at a nationwide scale 鈥� and that really needs to happen locally first.鈥�

Besides connecting arts and culture leaders and helping them strategize, Harkey hopes AFTACON 2026 will also inspire joy.

鈥淚 hope 鈥� there is a sense of joy, because that is really important,鈥� she said. 鈥淥f all the things that the arts provide 鈥� in addition to the power we provide in terms of economic and social benefits, joy is also a really big part of it.鈥�

Logan Royce Beitmen is an arts writer for the sa国际传媒官网网页入口. He covers visual art, music, fashion, theater and more. Reach him at lbeitmen@abqjournal.com or on Instagram at .