The devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 dramatically exposed the vulnerability of the arts and cultural sector in emergency preparedness and emergency response. To strengthen the understanding and readiness of the arts sector, an unprecedented national collaboration of arts professionals and organizations quickly came together with a call to action to form the National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness and Emergency Response (N-CAPER). This cross-disciplinary, voluntary task force is spearheaded by CERF+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund + Artists’ Emergency Resources) and Arts Ready, a service provided by South Arts, in addition to many other early partners, including Americans for the Arts and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Since then, preparedness and response has broadened to embrace “Readiness and Resiliency” in recognition of the role of the arts and cultural sector in natural disasters, periods of civic unrest, and acts of terrorism and violence.

On April 19, 2016, the NEA convened a cross sector panel of experts working in this arena to outline strategies to advance this important work.  A summary of the proceedings can be found here.