Illinois has one of the biggest creative economies in the nation and is home to one of the largest populations of workers employed in the arts and culture sector. Building off of the initial agenda from 2023, AAIL embarked on a new engagement process to refine a specific creative worker policy agenda, ensuring that we are collectively moving the workforce from surviving to thriving.

What we did:

• Developed mapping resources to align current labor protections in Illinois to the needs and specific conditions of creative workers, helping to identify opportunities and gaps
• Partnered with local advocates and State legislative champions to inform an implementation strategy for the Freelancer Worker Protection Act 
• Created and led an engagement strategy to engage creative workers and arts organizations to develop a policy agenda specific to increasing stability for the creative workforce
  
• Conducted research and drafted a brief on portable benefits to inform future advocacy for creative workers
• Supported planning for Capitol Day and helped lead advocacy on creative worker policy while in Springfield
• Helped inform strategy to improve the effectiveness of the Chicago Cultural Advocacy Council