“Government support of the arts has been important to me for the past two decades, and Americans for the Arts has championed the cause for more than 50 years,” said Baldwin in a statement. “I am honored to deliver this year’s Nancy Hanks Lecture on behalf of Americans for the Arts and proud to stand alongside them as we work to underscore the positive economic and social impact the arts and arts education have on our country and our citizens.”

The Nancy Hanks Lecture is part of the annual Arts Advocacy Day events in Washington, D.C., which will be held April 16-17.

The lecture is presented by Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, in partnership with television network Ovation.

The annual event is named for Nancy Hanks, former president of Americans for the Arts and chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, who devoted 15 years of her professional life to bringing the arts to prominent national consciousness. Past lecturers include Robert Redford, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Wynton Marsalis, Kevin Spacey, Ken Burns, William Safire and Robert MacNeil.

Baldwin was nominated for a Tony Award in 1992 for his performance in A Streetcar Named Desire. He has also been seen on Broadway in Loot, Serious Money and Twentieth Century. The performer received an Academy Award nomination for "The Cooler" and won two Emmy Awards for his work on NBC's "30 Rock." He will also be seen in the upcoming film adaptation of Rock of Ages. For more information, visit www.AmericansForTheArts.org.