In Sunday’s (8/2) Pittsburgh Tribune-Review , Alice T. Carter writes, “As the state’s budget woes drag on through the legislature, the arts continue to get no respect. The most recent budget proposals contain zero funding for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the conduit through which the state dribbles support to arts organizations across Pennsylvania. At stake is $14 million. To most of us, that sounds like a lot of money. But, according to the arts advocacy group Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania, that $14 million costs each taxpayer a nickel per week or $2.60 a year. As some of you might not be aware, eliminating funding for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts also will dry up the flow of money from the National Endowment for the Arts. That’s because NEA grants require a matching grant from the state coffers. … Arts and culture are a $1.99 billion industry in Pennsylvania, says Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania. The arts provide nearly 62,000 full-time equivalent jobs and generate $282.98 million in local and state government revenue.”
Posted August 4, 2009
