Title
Honoring and celebrating the life and accomplishments of Peggy Amsterdam.
Body
WHEREAS, Peggy Amsterdam took the helm of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance in 2000. The Alliance is an arts service organization serving 385 nonprofit cultural organizations in the region, with an annual operating budget of $3.66 million; and
WHEREAS, As President, Peggy established a new direction for the Alliance by using the cultural community as a unifying force for the region. Peggy transformed the Alliance from a membership organization to a leadership organization that helps shape major regional policy decisions and ensures that culture is a key component of Philadelphia's renaissance; and
WHEREAS, Peggy successfully informed leaders in government and business of the importance of the arts not just for the City's social well-being but also for Philadelphia's economic success. Under her leadership, the Alliance converted dozens of politicians into strong arts supporters and enjoyed numerous political victories including the retention of cultural funding in 2004, the reestablishment of the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, and defeating the proposed arts tax in 2009; and
WHEREAS, Peggy initiated community re-granting in southeastern Pennsylvania through the Project Stream Program (formerly the 5-County Arts Fund), a program of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. She disbursed more than $1.65 million in seed grants (over eight years) to innovative, community-based arts programs throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania and secured matching funds from public and private sources; and
WHEREAS, As President of the Alliance, Peggy oversaw the creation of four major research publications since 2006: Portfolio (2006); Arts and Culture in the Metropolis: Strategies for Sustainability (2007); Arts, Culture, and Economic Prosperity in Greater Philadelphia (2007); 2008 Portfolio (2008); and Research into Action: Pathways to New Opportunities (2009); and
WHEREAS, Peggy planned and implemented two major cultural marketing initiatives Campaign for Culture (2002-2007) and the Alliance's current initiative, Engage 2020, a four-year, $6 million marketing and civic engagement initiative aimed at doubling cultural participation in region by 2020. She established PhillyFunGuide.com, the region's most complete on-line entertainment calendar, which now attracts 130,000 unique visitors per month; FunSavers, a half-price ticket e-mail service, which reaches 68,000 subscribers weekly; and the Cultural List Cooperative, which remains the largest program of its kind in the country, with 100+ participating organizations and 900,000 names—representing 1 in 3 households in the region; and
WHEREAS, Peggy served in a number of volunteer positions. She served as a member of the Board of Americans for the Arts; a founding member of the Cultural Data Project; a member of the executive committee of the Greater Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau; a member of the Forum of Executive Women and the International Women's Forum; an appointee of Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter to the Mayor's Cultural Advisory Council; a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts; and on the steering committee of the National Arts Education Partnership; and
WHEREAS, Peggy's numerous awards include being the first recipient of the Ray Hanley Innovation Award, presented by the United States Urban Arts Federation (USUAF) in recognition of outstanding individual contributions to arts and culture in American cities, and the 2008 Fleisher Art Memorial Founder's Award, presented to individuals whose commitment and effort have made a significant contribution to expanding people's access to the arts, supporting excellence in artistic expression, and enriching Philadelphia's cultural resources; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it honors and celebrates the life and accomplishments of Peggy Amsterdam.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Amsterdam Family as further evidence of the sincere admiration and appreciation of this legislative body.
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