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The Arts and the Economy

 

The Senate has overridden veto 105, saving $250,000 in grant funds for arts education and arts organizations. A list of grant awards will be posted on our website by mid-July. On behalf of the South Carolina Arts Commission board and staff, thank you for your overwhelming efforts in contacting your legislators to urge their support for arts funding. Be sure to thank your legislators for their work on your behalf.

 

 

June 23, 2010

One more of the Governor's vetoes remains to be overridden in the Senate. Veto 105 eliminates $250,000 in ARRA (stimulus) funds earmarked for grant making. Without these ARRA funds, grant budgets for arts education and arts organizations will be reduced on average by 27%.

 

The programs affected include:

 

• Arts education:  68 grants statewide, affecting an estimated 309 schools and well over 100,000 students
• Operating support for arts organizations: 149 organizations throughout the state
• Subgranting:  Grants to nine local arts agencies that match our funds and then regrant the combined amount to community organizations.
  

 

Here's a recap of what happened last week: Thanks to the efforts of arts supporters who contacted their legislators in overwhelming numbers, the House restored Arts Commission funding by overriding the Governor's vetoes. The Senate, while overriding veto 32, did not have time to take up veto 105. The Senate returns June 29 to finish the budget.

 

While we are extremely grateful for the outpouring of support thus far, the work is not done until the Senate overrides the ARRA veto. You may wish to contact your state Senator to encourage an override of veto 105 and say thank you for overriding veto 32. Please also thank your House members for their support. Voting records are available for vetoes 32 and 105 in the House and veto 32 in the Senate. Contacts should be made before the legislature reconvenes on Tuesday, June 29.

 

 

June 10, 2010

The governor has vetoed the bulk of the Arts Commission’s budget, effectively crippling the agency if the legislature does not override the veto. This cut eliminates all state funds for grants, programs and services and more than 70 percent of our personnel. The cut also eliminates federal stimulus funds earmarked for grants to local arts organizations. The vetoed funds support arts curriculum and artist residencies in our schools; plays, concerts, dance performances and exhibitions in our communities; and thousands of jobs statewide. These targeted cuts (veto #32 Statewide Arts Services, $1,212,733 and veto #105, ARRA funds, $250,000) will destroy the agency’s ability to fulfill its mission, leaving it with little more than an administrative shell lacking the resources to support the arts industry that benefits all the people of our state. If this concerns you, there are a variety of ways to reach your state legislators this week before the legislature reconvenes on Tuesday, June 15.