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 (...
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