Advocacy
Issue Center

As a founding member of the Performing Arts Alliance, OPERA America works with the performing arts field to advocate for the development of national policies that recognize and strengthen the contributions that the arts make to America.

The top legislative issues for OPERA America include: appropriations for the National Endowment for the Arts, arts in education programs through the Department of Education, cultural exchange programs through the State Department, national policies that encourage international cultural exchange initiatives, national service programs through the Corporation for National and Community Service, tax policy regarding not-for-profit arts organizations, timely visa processing and tax withholdings for foreign guest artists, and changes in technology policies that affect opera organizations and performances.

Each year OPERA America, as a national co-sponsor of Arts Advocacy Day, participates in the Legislative Planning Committee to draft annual legislative issue briefs on a variety of arts policy topics. Below is the complete list of the 2010 legislative issue briefs:

Arts Education Funding and Research: Improving Access for All Students

Arts Education: The Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Artist Deduction: Tax Fairness for Artists and Writers

Cultural Exchange: Strengthening Ties Between the United States and the World

Healthcare: Strengthening Healthcare through the Arts

Issues of Concern: Network Neutrality, Public Broadcasting, & the Save America's Treasures Program

Jobs and the Arts: Supporting the Arts in Stimulating the Economy

Musical Instruments as Carry-On Luggage

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA): Promoting Creativity and Public Access to the Arts

National Service and the Arts: Strengthening Opportunities to Partner with National Service Initiatives

The Federal Communications Commission: Protecting Performing Arts Audio Technology

The IRA Charitable Rollover: Encouraging Charitable Gifts to Arts and Culture

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Improving the Visa Process for Foreign Guest Artists

To join the Government Affairs Liaison Listserv or for more information on OPERA America’s advocacy activities, please contact OPERA America’s Government Affairs Office at 202-375-7523.

Summer 2010 Magazine Issue
  • Letter from the President/CEO
  • OPERA America News
  • National Opera Week
  • Looking Back, Looking Forward: Career Service Awards
  • Opera Conference 2011
Contact Us
330 Seventh Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10001
P 212-796-8620 • F 212-796-8631
Info@operaamerica.org • Directions
From Airport:
The easiest way to reach the OPERA America offices is to get a cab at the airport. Cost is $40-45
(not including tip).
  • JFK - Take the AirTrain ($5 - approx. 15 minutes) to the Jamaica Street Station and transfer to the Long Island Railroad (LIRR). Take the LIRR to Penn Station ($12 - approx. 35 minutes). See Penn Station directions below.
  • LaGuardia - Take the M60 Bus to the Hoyt Ave/31st Street. Get on the or Train and take that to 42nd/Times Square Station. Follow the Times Square Station directions below.
  • Newark - Take the New Jersey Transit train to Penn Station ($15 - approx. 45 min). See the Penn Station Directions below.

From Penn Station/Madison Square Garden:
Leave the station through the 7th Avenue/33rd Street exit and walk south for four blocks. The building is on
the right hand side.

From Grand Central Station:
Take the Train to the 42nd/Times Square station and transfer to the Train.
Take the Train to the 28th Street stop and walk north on 7th Avenue.
The building is on the same block as the train stop.

From 42nd Street/Times Square:
Take the Train to the 28th Street stop and walk north on 7th Avenue.
The building is on the same block as the train stop.

For more detailed directions, most up-to-date pricing or to specify a different starting location, please visit the
MTA Web site.