Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council Responds to Attacks on the Arts, Launches Arts Speaks Advocacy Campaign
GPAC responds to calls to end the NEA and remove the arts from the PA State budget
Pittsburgh, PA…. April 10, 2017….With big strikes against the arts from President Trump and the proposed removal of arts funding from its long-standing place in the Pennsylvania state budget, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council called on constituents today to support the advocacy work necessary to fully restore federal and state policy and funding for arts and culture. Having participated in national Arts Advocacy Day on March 20 – 21 with 700 arts delegates and meeting with 18 out of 20 Pennsylvania elected officials on Capitol Hill, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council and statewide partners are now preparing for Arts and Culture Legislative Visits Day in Harrisburg on April 25, meeting with state officials to ask for support for the arts in Pennsylvania. To support this critical advocacy work, the GPAC board chair, Joseph B. Smith, Sr. Vice President of Dollar Bank, and his wife Lynn, with GPAC supporters James and Margaret Wilkes have contributed $5,000, and today, GPAC launched Art Speaks, an advocacy campaign to challenge constituents to match this fund and continue the fight to preserve, protect, and promote the arts that already make America great.
Mitch Swain, CEO of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council and Chair of Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania, said, “We are thankful for the support from the Smiths and the Wilkes because the arts need consistent, reliable support so that the arts can do what it does, best - - creating and sharing art that helps rebuild Rust Belt towns, educate Pennsylvanians for the future, and enrich the lives of our elderly citizens - just some of the ways the arts touch so many aspects of our lives, communities, and economies.” On April 25, GPAC will go to Harrisburg to share the impact of the arts directly with elected officials and work to get full funding restored in the state's budget, including calling on support from the bicameral, bipartisan Pennsylvania Legislative Arts and Culture Caucus. Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania’s goals with the April 25 visits include encouraging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to restore the line item to the General Fund Budget for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts at level funding, $9,590,000, ensuring grants to the arts in each county in the Commonwealth.
On April 4 in the afternoon, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a budget by a vote of 114-84 that removed Grants to the Arts and Museum/Historical Grants from the General Fund. The intention is that these lines, formerly in the General Fund, will be funded in the future out of an Endowment Account from licensing liquor franchise stores, however at this point, there is no legislation on the books to privatize liquor stores. Further, this proposed budget places funding for the arts outside the General Fund - not a part of the expense of the Commonwealth’s business. On the federal level, last month President Trump called to end the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Yet, these federal agencies contribute critical funds in each Congressional District, making communities across the country stronger and more vibrant. NEA grants account for millions to our neighborhoods, making Pittsburgh a more contemporary and inclusive city – in 2016, approximately $3 million to 21 organizations. Read about the local impacts of the NEA, here.
In response to attacks on the arts, Art Speaks will utilize social media platforms, specifically a Facebook Fundraising page, to share the impact of the arts through stories and posts, and encourage donations to the advocacy match fund to support the continued expense of advocacy work. The Art Speaks campaign ends on April 25 at 11:59pm.
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