Arts Funding Remains in Final Stimulus Bill

[liskddksil]

Next time, we'll just wait until the entire bill is posted online before we report that language for federal arts funding appears to be missing from a compromise reached on economic stimulus legislation. That was the story Thursday when we checked in with a senator's spokesperson, who did note that the bill hadn't gone online yet. We also were hearing from various quarters that the language was missing and later that it was there, but no one could confirm for sure.

Today, we find a $50 million provision for the National Endowment for the Arts is on page 143 of the 496-page Division A (PDF) of the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act. (By the way, if you're interested in seeing what all is in the compromise legislation, go to the House Appropriations Committee's website. Happy reading.)

According to the bill, the NEA money is "to be distributed in direct grants to fund arts projects and activities which preserve jobs in the non-profit arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn." Forty percent of the money is to be distributed to state arts agencies and regional arts councils (potentially good news for the Minnesota State Arts Board, which faces potential cuts in state funding) and 60 percent for "competitively selected projects."

http://www.minnpost.com/artsarena/2009/02/13/6676/never_mind_nea_money_survives_conference_committee
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Looks like despite the whining of the Republicans who aren't going to vote for this anyway, this much needed funding to ensure that more nonprofit arts organizations dont go bankrupt this year, will be in the bill.

[floridablue]

1. FDR had it in his bill also.

[villager]

2. Well --as I go to watch the opening of my play this evening, I'll feel better ;-)

Or... perhaps a tad more optimistic that there may be other plays, by other people, in other places...

and lots of dancing with the muse, everywhere. Which, I think, is what healthy societies do. Instead of putting so much effort into slaughtering children, etc.

[Bluenorthwest]

3. Congratulations

And thanks for play making...what's your play? Where is it opening?

[JDPriestly]

4. Municipal art fairs, local music festivals as well as national

arts productions. We need these to have balance in our lives. And, special message to Bill Maher: poor kids need the arts too.

I was poor. When I was very young, I heard someone playing a cello or violin, and I said to my mother, "I want to play that." Thanks to Miss Trent, my fifth- through eighth-grade violin teacher, I learned to play, and even went on to get a music degree. No, I don't earn my living as a musician. But music, all kinds of music, enriched my life. It made me smarter, more loving, more disciplined person all around. In fact, I think I can safely say that my first love was my violin.

My parents could not afford private music lessons. School arts and community arts programs are an essential part of bringing beauty to our lives.

Government funding for the arts is not enough, of course, and private funding needs to be more substantial. But, especially with the economy in the tank, private funding for the arts is not abundant. We need public funding for the arts more than ever in this crisis.