U.S. House Appropriations Committee Recognizes Circus Arts as a Distinct Component of the Nation’s Performing Arts Workforce

The Circus Arts Guild of America welcomes the inclusion of circus arts language in the Fiscal Year 2027 House Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Report.

The report recognizes circus arts as a distinct component of the nation’s performing arts workforce and encourages the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to examine opportunities to better recognize and track circus arts activities within its grantmaking and research programs.

The report also acknowledges that circus-related activities are currently dispersed across multiple NEA grant categories, limiting consistent tracking and evaluation.

“This is a meaningful milestone for the circus arts field,” said Shenea Booth, Founder of the Circus Arts Guild of America. “For generations, circus artists, educators, technicians, producers, coaches, and organizations have contributed to America’s cultural life, creative economy, and communities. This language recognizes circus arts as a distinct field and acknowledges the workforce that powers it.”

Booth noted that the significance of the report language extends beyond performance.

“Circus arts is more than a performance,” Booth said. “It is a workforce, an educational pathway, a community asset, and a source of artistic innovation that reaches people of all ages and backgrounds.”

The Circus Arts Guild of America emphasized that the circus arts field encompasses a broad range of artists, educators, organizations, businesses, creative workers, and traditions whose work continues to shape, advance, and sustain the field.

“This milestone reflects years of advocacy, collaboration, and persistence by individuals and organizations across the country who believed circus arts deserved recognition on its own terms,” Booth said. “This recognition belongs to the many people who have helped build and sustain the circus arts field, and we hope our community will celebrate this achievement and continue demonstrating the value and impact of circus arts in communities across the country.”

The Circus Arts Guild of America expressed its appreciation to the artists, educators, organizations, congressional offices, and supporters who helped advance this effort.

While work remains ahead, the inclusion of this language marks an important step toward greater recognition of the circus arts workforce and the contributions of the field nationwide.

Main image:  Courtesy of Shenea Booth.