A few hours ago, I was hugged by a Senator.

Today was California Arts Advocacy Day, organized by the terrific folks from California Arts Advocates, which is an extraordinary arts advocacy non-profit. These folks make it possible for those of us who care deeply about arts in our communities to work toward strengthening the arts on a state-wide level.  And the stronger the support we have from our Assemblymembers and Senators, the more that strength will spread on both a federal level, and on a local level.  I think I could spend my life doing the kind of work I did today.

Today was not unlike the Arts Advocacy conference hosted by Americans for the Arts in D.C. every March.  There are hours of training, when we learn about the new bills that affect the arts, the talking points we need to make, the voting histories of our elected officials, and the protocols in regards to meeting with our officials and their staffs.  It is also a time to connect with colleagues and friends who work in the arts field.  I love all of it.

Usually, when we do these “visits” to our elected officials, we meet not with our Senator or Congresswoman or Assemblymember; we meet with someone on their staff.  But we never begrudge those meetings- in fact, they are most excellent, because with all of the new bills, the number of lobbyists, and the general stress of their jobs, our elected officials necessarily rely a great deal on their staffs to educate them on the legislation before them.  

Today was no different.  I was meeting with Assemblymember Noreen Evans (D) and Senator Pat Wiggins (D), but my actual appointments were with members of their staff.

A few months ago, I had a meeting with the local staff member of Senator Wiggins.  We had a terrific meeting, and one of the things I suggested was that Senator Wiggins take part in the Capitol Art Program, which is a rotating show of art for Senate offices.  But I suggested a twist: why not have art from her districts?  And why not start with Napa Valley artists?  The staffer loved the idea, and brought it to the Senator who also loved it; fast forward less than a month and two extremely thrilled local artists were driving their work up to Sacramento to hang in the Senator’s office.  Senator Wiggins chose the artists herself, from the sixty-plus artists my organization has on our online Artist Registry.

I got a great quote from Senator Wiggins for a press release, my artists were beside themselves at the opportunity, and I got to feel like I was making a difference.  So I was particularly excited to talk to the Senator’s staff to see how they were enjoying the art.

I was supposed to be training my small team about how to properly run these visits, so when we walked in the door of Senator Wiggins’ office, I extended my hand and my card to the staffer and said my name as well as the staffer I was supposed to meet.  Lo and behold, I heard a cry from another room, and the Senator herself came barreling out, pushing the staffer out of the way, and said, “YOU are Michelle Williams?  You are who made this art show happen?” and she wrapped her arms around me and ignoring all of the other lobbyists in the room, she took me for a tour of the art in the office, stopping for five minutes to admire a particularly vibrant triptych by one of my favorite Napa Valley artists.  Her staffer behind me said, “Yeah, she makes all of stop working at least twice a week to come stare at this with her, and she makes every lobbyist who comes into the office do the same.”  

Senator Wiggins then took us into her office to show us the other things hanging on her walls (medals, letters of commendation, plaques, etc.) and asked how we could get MORE ART on her walls.  One of her staffers came in with us, and they started plotting about what could come down to make more space for art.  I think she hugged me two more times before I was able to blurt out a little something about my organization, and about legislation we wanted her to support.  Her staffer whipped the informational folder out of my hands, and started earmarking the bills I said were particularly important.

Finally, it was clear that the Senator would have talked to us all day, and the staffer urged us out since she was already late for a budget committee meeting, but before leaving, after more hugs, she wrapped her arms around me and a fellow team member for a photo opp- all smiles, and more hugs.

When we got out of the door, I took a breath, and said to my team, “That was not a typical visit.  But that WAS a demonstration of art in action!”  I’ve coordinated enough art exhibits in businesses, non-profits, and governmental offices to know what a difference art makes in the lives of the people who get to see it every day.  But building these kinds of alliances and relationships simply through the sharing of art is an extraordinary feeling, and a deeply satisfying experience.

I’m home, finally, and I’m so exhausted from the last two weeks that I can’t even sit upright.  But I’m going to hold that experience close to me as long as possible.  Senator Wiggins clearly thought that I had given her a gift, when all I was trying to do is give a new level of visibility and legitimacy to the artists who work so hard to make a living in my community.  I’m so grateful to her and her staff for being so welcoming, so effusive in their love for the artwork, and such great supporters for the arts.  And I’m thankful that California Arts Advocates exists, because they gave me the tools and training I needed to get through the Senator’s door today.  But more than anything, I just think that it’s so darn cool that for a few minutes, in that crowed hallway, with arts advocates from around the state, staffers, and the Senator, we became just a group of folks admiring the brilliant orange in a triptych of a Napa Valley vineyard scene.  That’s the kind of fuel I need to stay in this job, and I’m grateful for it.