Arkansas Senator Joyce Elliott and Representative Les Warren will present a new piece of legislation creating the “Arkansas Legislative Arts and Technology Bootcamp” at a press conference on Thursday, March 11 at noon, at the Capitol Rotunda. The bill is being filed the same day.

Senator Elliott and Representative Warren, along with Members of the Legislative Arts Caucus will be in attendance. The Arkansas Legislative Arts Caucus was founded by Elliott and Warren in 2018 and they continue to serve as co-chairs of the bipartisan caucus. Members have come together across the aisle committing to support pro-arts policy for Arkansas. The arts in Arkansas represents over 8% of its workforce and $3 Billion annually in GDP. It is vital to tourism, revitalizes communities, and is the primary pipeline for talent and our future workforce.

Arkansans for the Arts, an arts advocacy nonprofit dedicated to advancing the arts and the creative economy, is cohosting the event. Arkansans for the Arts serves the people of Arkansas as an independent statewide organization providing leadership focused on the promotion and advancement of the creative economy, on transforming policy in arts education, and uniting the state into one voice with a call to action by policy makers to increase investment in the arts.

The Arkansas State Capitol requires guests to observe state mandated COVID-19 safety protocols including wearing masks at all times and practicing social distancing. The event will also be streamed through Facebook live on the Arkansans for the Arts Facebook page.