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News
Rep. Slaughter Brings Together Local Arts Groups to Find New Funding Sources
April 24, 2003 Rochester, NY – U.S. Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY28), co-chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus, today organized an arts and cultural forum to bring representatives from federal and state funding sources to Western New York. Over 100 local arts organizations, which are suffering from budget cuts and decreased revenue due to the weak economy, were given the opportunity to learn about funding opportunities from state and federal organizations including the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the New York State Council on the Arts.
“Investing in the arts is investing in New York’s economy,” said Rep. Slaughter. “In addition to enriching our culture and way of life, our local arts organizations create jobs and strengthen the local economy and the tourism industry. With all the research showing how the arts enrich economies and communities, we should be increasing funding for arts programs during hard times. Instead, they are always the first programs to be cut.”
According to Americans for the Arts, all forms of support for the arts are down from last year, including support from state and local governments, foundations, corporations and individual donors. The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies reports that aggregate state arts agency appropriations dropped 13.4 percent from FY 02 to FY 03, from $408.6 million to $353.9 million.
Studies have demonstrated the positive economic impacts that the arts have on local economies. According to a 2002 study by Americans for the Arts on the economic impact of the arts on local communities, the nonprofit arts industry generates $134 billion in economic activity each year, supports 4.85 million full-time jobs and returns $10.5 billion to the federal government in income taxes. The study showed that the arts industry in the Niagara Falls area supported 1,637 full time jobs, generated over $23 million in household income and created over $6 million in state and local government revenue. The study can be found at http://www.artsusa.org/EconomicImpact/default.asp.
“Supporting the arts is more important than ever during this time of economic uncertainty,” said Rep. Slaughter. “We need to continue developing and promoting Western New York’s great cultural heritage, which already draws thousands of tourists each year.”
Over 100 regional arts organizations attended the forum, including those affiliated with the Arts Council in Buffalo and Erie County, the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester, the Cultural Alliance of Niagara, the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council and the Syracuse Cultural Resources Council.
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