This month, we have something we don't always get to lead with: good news. Sustained statewide advocacy produced a real, concrete outcome, and it's worth celebrating before moving on to the work that remains. There is still much ahead: the state budget, federal funding threats, and the longer work of building a field that is resourced to thrive. But wins matter. They remind us why we show up. Thank you for being part of this.

A Win for Small Arts Organizations: PCA/PCI Restores Funding Through New Program

On June 4, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts/Pennsylvania Creative Industries voted to restore grant funding for small arts organizations and programs with annual budgets between $10,000 and $100,000, a tier eliminated when the PCA/PCI revised its grantmaking programs. The new program will be called Spotlight.

This is a direct result of statewide advocacy. The Council heard the field, and our advocacy could not be ignored. In addition to restoring this critical funding tier, the Spotlight program will also open eligibility to fiscally sponsored groups and programs, an important expansion of access for community-based organizations that operate outside the traditional nonprofit structure.

To everyone who sent emails, showed up to public comment, signed letters, and kept pushing, thank you. This win belongs to the field. Collective advocacy works.

Introducing a State Senator to Young Artists

The Arts Council recently brought State Senator Lindsay Williams to Alumni Theater Company, a nonprofit in Homewood creating bold theatrical work that gives a fresh voice to the experience of young Black artists in her district. Sen. Williams listened as students read personal letters about the challenges they face and what ATC means to them: how it's helped them grow, find creative outlets, and build community. Parents shared their own stories of impact.

Too often, decisions are made on behalf of youth with limited opportunities for them to help shape the policies that affect their lives. We were honored to help create a space where young people could speak directly to an elected official who represents them and share what matters most to them.

Moving Forward on a Downtown Cultural Strategist

The City of Pittsburgh is re-engaging around deploying a Cultural Strategist focused on the city's urban core, with a particular emphasis on Downtown. Conversations originally began in 2024, when significant state investment in Downtown prompted the city to explore a grant-funded staff position dedicated to cultural strategy. Upon further review, the city has shifted course — this will be a contracted opportunity, with a Request for Qualifications slated to be published in July.

The Arts Council has been consulting with the Department of City Planning on this work since 2024, and we are once again in active conversation with the city as things move forward. We see this as an important step toward ensuring that culture is central to Downtown's future — and we'll keep the field informed as the process unfolds.

Advocating for a $5M Increase to Arts Funding

Pennsylvania's Grants to the Arts line item has been flat-funded at $9.59 million since 2015, and the story goes back further than that. In the early 2000s, this line item sat around $15 million. It dipped below $10 million in the 2009–2010 budget and has never recovered. To have the same purchasing power today that we had in 2000–2001, funding would need to reach approximately $28–29 million. Arts organizations have been doing more with less for decades, absorbing the compounding effects of inflation while the line item has remained frozen.

We are actively making the case for a $5 million increase. On June 1 and 2, the Arts Council was in Harrisburg alongside advocates from across the state, meeting with members of the Appropriations Committee and urging their support. Since then, we've continued those conversations in members' home districts and have been encouraged by the letters of support we continue to receive. We are also advocating that any budget increases be directed toward reinstating programs that were cut, including Arts in Education and Folk and Traditional Arts.

What Can We Learn from Other States?

We always keep our finger on the pulse of advocacy movements across the country, and are already helping facilitate conversations locally based on what we're seeing.

In Colorado, Governor Polis signed the Colorado Artist Company Act into law on June 2, making Colorado the first state to create a business structure specifically designed for artists. A-Corps guarantee artists majority ownership and intellectual property protections, a business model that could revolutionize how creatives do business.

In Ohio, the legislature passed House Bill 563, targeting predatory ticket reselling, requiring transparency from resellers whose deceptive practices and hidden fees have hurt arts venues and eroded consumer trust.

Pennsylvania may not be far behind. I recently met with Stephen Bruder, Senator Costa's Policy Director, along with the PA Chapter of the National Independent Venue Association to discuss how other states are protecting consumers from predatory ticket reselling.

The meeting surfaced some promising news: Pennsylvania House Bill 967, which caps resale ticket fees at 5% for both buyers and sellers, has already passed the House with bipartisan support and now heads to the Senate. Bruder indicated he's in conversations with the Attorney General's office about prosecuting fraudulent behavior, including the cloning of ticketing sites. He offered to connect with the bill's sponsors directly to ensure it fully addresses the pain points arts venues and consumers are experiencing.

Launching an Arts Funding Landscape Analysis

The funding environment for the arts is shifting, and we want to help the field navigate it with clear, accurate, on-the-ground information.

We are launching a landscape analysis of arts funding in Southwest Pennsylvania. Through a series of conversations with regional funders, we'll map who is funding what, who is eligible, where the gaps are, and what funders wish more applicants knew before approaching them.  The goal is a practical, publishable resource that helps artists, organizations, and creative businesses understand where to start, and what's actually available to them right now.

We are grateful to the Fine Foundation, the Opportunity Fund, and the Pittsburgh Foundation for serving as thought partners and helping test and refine our methodology.

The Artist's Guide to Defending Artistic Freedom

» View the guide

The National Coalition Against Censorship has published a free guide for artists and cultural workers facing censorship pressure. It covers how to defend your work to institutions, document incidents, make your case public, and respond to common objections — including legal threats and funding concerns. The guide also includes talking points for rallying support and pushing back against institutional self-censorship.

Advocates Push to Restore the Marshall Building as a Cultural Hub

In last month’s edition of this newsletter, we amplified Point Breeze Organization’s efforts to restore the Marshall Building in Mellon Park to its intended purpose. Now the effort has gained wider visibility. WESA's Bill O'Driscoll reports that a coalition of arts and community groups formally addressed Pittsburgh City Council on June 9, urging the city to reopen the landmark for public use. 

The city-owned building is currently used primarily as storage for the Citiparks department, which advocates say is a far cry from its decades as a center of Pittsburgh cultural life. The Marshall Building Stakeholders Group, which includes Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media, Calliope, and several East End community organizations, is meeting this week with the director of the city's parks department.

Other News of Interest:

ArtsVote Webinar: Make Your Plan — The Path to the Polls | June 25

» Register here

Americans for the Arts and the Arts Action Fund are hosting a webinar at 3 p.m. on nonpartisan voter engagement for arts and culture organizations. Speakers, including representatives from Nonprofit VOTE, will cover how 501(c)(3)s can compliantly and creatively help audiences make a voting plan, including creative resources for encouraging civic participation.

Defeating Authoritarianism / Action Challenge Summer Club | Mondays through July 20

» Sign up here

The Center for Artistic Activism's summer series kicked off June 22, but there's still time to join. Weekly Monday meetings at 4 p.m. run through July 20. Sessions cover narrative strategy, creative action design, and practical next steps drawn from the 10 Steps Campaign playbook. New participants should watch the workshop recording in advance.

Ayisha Morgan-Lee

As Ayisha Morgan-Lee concludes her term as Board Chair of the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), we want to recognize and celebrate her leadership, both here in Pittsburgh and across the field of dance. Her leadership has been a gift to this city and to the field. We are grateful for everything she has contributed.

Ayisha — who also serves as the CEO and Artistic Director of Hill Dance Academy Theatre — has been a steadfast advocate for Black dancers, choreographers, dance forms, and the institutions that sustain them. Throughout her tenure at IABD, she ensured Pittsburgh had a seat at national conversations about the discipline, including helping bring the 2025 IABD Conference to Pittsburgh, a milestone for our region's visibility on a national stage.

In Memoriam: Duane Michals (1932–2026)

We also pause to mourn the loss of Duane Michals, the groundbreaking photographer and McKeesport native who passed away on June 9 at the age of 94.

As an openly gay artist, Duane often explored themes of sexuality, identity, and self-reflection in his work. His photographs offered a glimpse into queer life and experience at a time when conversations about LGBTQ+ issues and identities were considered taboo. Throughout his career, Duane helped push discussions about sexual identity and gay rights into the cultural mainstream.

Do you know a person or organization worth a spotlight? We'd love to learn more! Use this form to send us their info for consideration in a future newsletter.

Contact Your Appropriations Committee Member on the Grants to the Arts Line Item

As mentioned above, Pennsylvania's Grants to the Arts line item has been flat-funded at $9.59 million since 2015, and we're pushing for a $5 million increase in this year's budget. If your State Representative or Senator serves on the Appropriations Committee, please take a moment to contact them directly and let them know this increase matters.

House Appropriations Committee Members Serving SW Pennsylvania:

Thanks for helping shape Pittsburgh’s future through advocacy and action,

Patrick Fisher
CEO, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council

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