NEW YORK, NY.- The Art Museum Partnership recently announced a Partner Pledge to support Museum Advocacy Day on February 28, 2012. In addition to financial support, representatives from The Art Museum Partnership will be in Washington DC to speak to Congressional leaders about the important role of museums as educational institutions. The event is organized by the American Association of Museums.

Museum Advocacy Day brings together over 300 museum leaders from across the country to take part in a day of advocacy training on urgent issues, followed by a day of visits with our Congressional delegation and their staffs. A compelling case will be made for federal support of America’s museums, based on solid research chronicling museums’ contributions to our communities and their role as economic engines and integral elements in our educational infrastructure.

Executive Director, John Nichols said “The Art Museum Partnership wants to communicate that a museum is many things. They are centers for lifelong learning, a economic engine for the local community, a civic forum where ideas and democracy itself become reality. Today’s museums are, above all, educational institutions, essential pillars of America’s educational infrastructure, critical to our future economic competitiveness and maintaining American leadership in technology, innovation and culture”.

Museum professionals, educators, business leaders and the general public can help in this effort. All it takes is just a few minutes and a few clicks by visiting the American Association of Museums’ advocacy website, at www.speakupformuseums.org. The site offers a range of tools to help send customized letters to Congressional representatives on a range of critical issues facing museums and the country.

The goal of the Art Museum Partnership is to provide the leaders of nonprofit art museums with networking opportunities that facilitate the sharing of information, resources, and collections. The Partnership was primary established to benefit the leaders of the small to mid-sized institutions that comprise the largest segment in the field, but are not currently represented by the Association of Art Museum Directors. However, since everyone can benefit from the knowledge of their piers, the directors of larger museums are also encouraged to participate and lend their support.