The First 100 Days of Trump: Joe Voss

An interview with the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Creative Many Michigan

This is an interview in a series featuring a broad range of reactions to President Trump’s first 100 days in Office, conducted by Lauren Ruffin, Vice President, External Relations at Fractured Atlas. In this interview we hear from Joe Voss, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Creative Many — Michigan’s creative sector advocacy organization.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this interview are solely Joe’s, and do not necessarily reflect those of Creative Many Michigan or Fractured Atlas.

What was the immediate reaction of you/your members or stakeholders after the election?

I think I had a similar reaction to many of our stakeholders, which can be summed up by: “we have a lot of work to do.” There was also quite of bit of waking up to the surreal nature of post-election America, and a big part of understanding the new reality for me has been working to understand that while I was shocked (and appalled) at the results, that’s not how everyone felt. Some people were happy, some people were not surprised, and some people were absolutely devastated. The range of reactions to the election was a reflection of the American human condition at that historical moment.

Did you make plans to change programming or messaging between the election and inauguration? How about after inauguration?

I don’t know that we made any concrete changes to our programs between the election and inauguration, but it was clear immediately after the election that were [sic] going to need to bolster our messaging about the importance of the arts in the preservation of democracy. Creative Many Michigan has advocated for support for the arts in the state for years, but as an organization I think the election brought the need for vigilance in our arts advocacy — whether for funding or otherwise — into sharp focus.

What are your thoughts on Trump’s first 100 days in office? How has his Administration impacted the artistic sector?

I think that the administration has demonstrated what many people expected to see in the first 100 days: a lack of experience, understanding and empathy. This has manifested itself in the administration’s budget process, and the proposed severe cuts to already minimal arts funding by the federal government have made (segments of) the artistic sector nervous, angry and active. Which I suppose isn’t all bad.

Do you have any predictions for the rest of his term?

I don’t think my imagination can match what the current administration does from one day to the next. So no.

What organizations are doing stellar work leading policy and advocacy in the field right now?

We view our work at Creative Many Michigan as stellar with respect to public policy and creative industry-focused advocacy. AFTA [Americans for the Arts] and their State Arts Advocacy Network are certainly sources of strength for use these days.