Dear President Obama and Vice President Biden,
We, the undersigned, are just a few of the more than 11 million artists living, working, and creating across the United States. Our work brings significant cultural and economic value to our society - and contributes $1.52 trillion to the nation's GDP. Yet that value is being disregarded as our rights and incentives to create are increasingly under threat.
Hear us as we speak with one voice about the importance of creators' rights.
We are the essence of America. Since the founding of our country, our work has provided light in the darkness of conflict, humor in the depths of sadness, beauty in the face of ugliness, and reason in the dysfunction of division.
We serve as the foundation of our communities; you find us in schools, performance halls, libraries, museums, community centers, and movie houses. We enrich our culture with a wide range of creative expression, including music, film, software, video games, writing, photography, graphics, and other visual arts.
We contribute in some way to every single industry in the country. Many of us are self-employed. All of us work hard and pay taxes.
Yet, we are under assault. Our rights to control the distribution, use, and reproduction of our works in our vibrant digital age are dismissed by many who do not understand the value we bring to society. They tell us to work harder, create better, and give our works away. Some think that they should control our works and that they should be able to appropriate, perform, and copy them how they please, without our consent, benefit, or participation.
Our freedom as creators lies in the Constitutional rights we cherish, rights given to us to promote our culture. Without these rights, our ability to pursue our creative dreams and to meet the high expectations of those who benefit from our creative works is significantly diminished. As a result, all Americans will suffer.
Mr. President and Vice President, hear our call. We know you understand the value our creative contributions bring to our society and economy, and we know you can encourage our citizens to respect our rights. Please pursue policies supportive of the rights of artists and the encouragement of our creative efforts. Without the proper respect for our rights and works today, it will become even more difficult for us to create in the future.
Sincerely,
| # | Name | City | State | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12200 | Vernon Lix | Gatlinburg | TN | Photographer |
| 12201 | Dede Peters | Fayetteville | AR | artists' representative |
| 12202 | Dana Gieringer | Fayetteville | AR | photographer |
| 12203 | Laura Terry | West Fork | AR | painter/visual artist |
| 12204 | Art Meripol | Birmingham | Al | photographer |
| 12205 | Stephanie G. Crasto | Katy | TX | Aspiring Illustrator |
| 12206 | Eric Priddy | Dallas | TX | Photographer |
| 12207 | Mark Gieringer | Fayetteville | AR | Photographer |
| 12208 | Mark Lawrence | Rogers | AR | Painter / photographer |
| 12209 | Alexandra Lifson | Sedona | AZ | Painter |
| 12210 | P.w. Shelton | Austin | TX | illustrator/sculptor/musician |
| 12211 | Nancy Sherrill | Marietta | GA | Graphic Designer |
| 12212 | Carolyn Potts | Evanston | IL | photographer |
| 12213 | Jon Paulette | Charlottesville | VA | Writer |
| 12214 | Von R Buzard | Chicago | IL | photographer |
| 12215 | Jane Mermelstein | San Francisco | CA | painter |
| 12216 | Robin Richardson | Evanston | IL | writer |
| 12217 | Nathan Y. Jarvis | Midway | UT | Illustrator |
| 12218 | Eric Doggett | Austin | TX | Photographer |
| 12219 | Bill Sosin | Chicago | IL | Photography |
| 12220 | Todd McCutcheon | Indianapolis | IN | Painter |
| 12221 | Philip Chudy | Novato | CA | photographer/CGI artist |
| 12222 | Timothy Shonnard | San Francisco | Ca | Photographer |
| 12223 | kelley wilks | fayetteville | ar | pottery, photography,commercial art |
| 12224 | Margaret Binks | Lake Forest | CA | photographer, quilter |
| 12225 | Sofía van der Dys | Houston | TX | Portrait and Commercial Photographer |
| 12226 | cheri eisenberg | chicago | IL | photographer |
| 12227 | Robert Tolchin | Deerfield | IL | Photographer |
| 12228 | Victoria Reich | Moline | IL | Illustrator |
| 12229 | Jennifer Richter | Saint Louis | MO | Photographer/Fine artist |
| 12230 | Sara Nelson | Waldorf | MD | Photographer |
| 12231 | angela richards | foster city | ca | childrens book illustration |
| 12232 | karina wang | evanston | Il | photographer |
| 12233 | Paul Hood | Seattle | Wa | Musician |
| 12234 | Susy Zelaya | Guerneville | CA | Actor/Painter/Writer/ |
| 12235 | Maria Jones | Port Saint Lucie | Florida | Graphic Designer |
| 12236 | Pat Bunch | Cross Plains | Tn | songwriter |
| 12237 | bessie cheng | bayside | NY | illustrator |
| 12238 | Terrence Anderson | Evanston | il | Ceramic |
| 12239 | Peter Buranzon | El Granada | CA | Photographer |
| 12240 | Alan Shortall | Chicago | IL | Photographer |
| 12241 | josh kistner | savannah | ga | designer |
| 12242 | Zamora | Miami | FL | Musician |
| 12243 | Paul Antico | Los Angeles | CA | Photographer |
| 12244 | John Herndon | Chicago | IL | Illustrator |
| 12245 | Jeremy Keas | Houston | TX | Photographer/Visual Artist |
| 12246 | Melissa Kaempf | New York City | NY | Illustrator |
| 12247 | Ken Sexton | St. Louis | Mo | photographer |
| 12248 | J.A. Umberger | Sardis | MS | Novelist |
| 12249 | Dublin Evans | Waxahachie | Tx | Animator/Storyboard Artist |
| 12250 | Rickey D Morris Jr | Houston | TX | Global Multi-Media Marketing +Distribution |
| 12251 | Shanae M. Morris | Houston | TX | Entertainment Artist/Writer |
| 12252 | "Chainsaw" Chuck Majewski | Treasure Island | FL | Illustrator/Animator/ |
| 12253 | John Trotter | Brooklyn | NY | Photographer |
| 12254 | Michelle Smith | Clovis | CA | Photographer |
| 12255 | Tamela Jaeger | Renton | WA | 3D Human Skin Texturer & Modeler |
| 12256 | Cameron Schmitz | Wesley Chapel | FL | musician/educator |
| 12257 | Chris Haskett | New York | NY | Musician |
| 12258 | Annemarie Langlois | East Orleans | Ma | writer |
| 12259 | Susan Friend | New York | NY | Songwriter |
| 12260 | Nicola Jack | Malibu | CA | composer |
| 12261 | David A. Nortrup | Ford City | PA | Graphic Designer, Illustrator |
| 12262 | Hilton Evans | Trenton | Mi | Political Entertainer |
| 12263 | Samantha A. hsu | Ventura | CA | Graphic Artist |
| 12264 | Peter C. Brandt | Bearsville | NY | photographer |
| 12265 | Phil Duarte | Washington | DC | songwriter/painter |
| 12266 | Keith O Moses | Jersey City | NJ | composer/artist |
| 12267 | Test | Beverly Hills | CA | Music |
| 12268 | Renee Witterstaetter | New York, | NY | writer |
| 12269 | michael Golden | New Haven, | ct | artist /writer |
| 12270 | Lisa Bias | Ona | WV | Professional Photographer/Commercial_Industrial_Aerial, etc. |
| 12271 | Steven Bias | Ona | WV | Music Composer_Film.Ads.Documentary.Ballet.Theater, etc. |
| 12272 | Larry Austin | Grand Ledge | Michigan | Digital Artist |
| 12273 | Penney Adams | Blacklick | OH | photographer |
| 12274 | Case Crowther | Dania Beach | FL | Industrial Designer |
| 12275 | Eric Strauss | Philadelphia | PA | Photographer |
| 12276 | Salpie Proodian | N.Hollywood | CA | freelance artist/Retoucher |
| 12277 | R. Scott Weldon | Mertztown | PA | Photography |
| 12278 | Chris Edmonds | Conifer | CO | Songwriter/Musician |
| 12279 | Bruce Worden | Ann Arbor | MI | Illustrator, sculptor, filmmaker |
| 12280 | Michael Griswold-Krupski | Cheektowaga | NY | Photographer |
| 12281 | Carol K. Encarnado | Columbia | MD | Painter/Graphic artist |
| 12282 | Bryana Flowers | Jackson | TN | Sketch |
| 12283 | Matthew Swihart | Riverview | FL | Author |
| 12284 | Chris Thompson | Spokane | WA | Photographer |
| 12285 | Marcellus Brown | Tomball | TX | Fantasy/ Pinup |
| 12286 | Oscar Cairoli | West Covina | CA | Producer |
| 12287 | Dale Kennington | Dothan | AL | Fine Art |
| 12288 | Todd MacMillan | Georgetown | KY | Photographer |
| 12289 | Natalia Molina | Miami | FL | Photographer |
| 12290 | Eli Ball | Nashville | TN | banker |
| 12291 | charles yoakum | san rafael | ca | writer/illustrator |
| 12292 | Kitt Evans | Bala Cynwyd | PA | Illustrator /Art Teacher |
| 12293 | Jessica Peffer | Columbus | OH | Illustrator |
| 12294 | Greg Dent | Tulsa | OK | author/songwriter |
| 12295 | Anthony | Weirton | WV | musician |
| 12296 | cecil Dailey | mobile | al | painter |
| 12297 | Bradley Scott Boyer | Nashville | TN | Songwriter /Singer/ Composer |
| 12298 | Paul Shoopan | Lenoir City | TN | Photographer |
| 12299 | Christopher Kyprianos | Gardner | MA | Photographer |
