North Valley Arts Council presents Lunch with the Arts The North Valley Arts Council (NoVAC) presents Lunch with the Arts, featuring a discussion with Jan Webb, executive director of the North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA), Thursday, Oct. 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Ina Mae Rude Center, 4200 James Ray Drive, Grand Forks. Lunch with the Arts provides a forum in which arts supporters can visit with leading arts advocates. At the Oct. 19 event, Webb will discuss how to access resources available at the NDCA. These resources include grant programs, education services, artist-in-residence programming, and more. Webb will also share strategies on effective arts advocacy at the state level. Advocating for the arts at the state level is especially important now, as Congress determines the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) allocation. The NEA makes grants to thousands of arts organizations across America that encourage artistic creativity and bring the arts to millions of Americans. The NEA is currently funded at $124.4 million, well below the $170 million-plus that it received prior to 1996. Sen. Byron Dorgan is a member of the sub-committee that funds the NEA. By advocating for the arts at the state level, you can help the NEA get the funding it deserves. Webb has served as the executive director of the NDCA for over six years. She also serves as a board member for Arts Midwest, and was recently elected as a board member of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. Anyone interested in arts advocacy is invited to join Lunch with the Arts. Admission is $10 at the door, including lunch. Please visit www.novac.org to register. NoVAC supports arts and culture in Greater Grand Forks through service, advocacy and education. -- Nicole Derenne, Executive Director, North Valley Arts Council, nicolederenne@novac.org, 777-6120