Arts NYS Coalition Calls to Rebuild New York State Council on the Arts

The Arts NYS Coalition, a group of statewide arts and cultural organizations, wants to partner with the NY State Legislature to rebuild the NY State Council on the Arts."Cultural tourism, arts education, and direct employment in the cultural sector are critical to the State's economic vitality," Hilary Oak for the St. Lawrence County Arts Council in Potsdam, said in a statement released Monday. Oak added that NYSCA funding generated almost $23 million in regional economic impact over five years. "NYSCA funding is essential to the health and growth of our local economies."The NYSCA proposed local grants budget is $31.6 million, almost $4 million less than it was in 1985, and in recent years, the State's commitment to the arts has declined significantly, argued Norma Munn of the NY City Arts Coalition.According to Steve Butler of the Cultural Resources Council in Syracuse, "53,085 arts-related businesses generate 335,683 jobs, which pay close to $9.8 billion in wages, which then generates $1.2 billion in taxes, and a whipping $25.7 billion in economic impact statewide."The Coalition is recommending a four year initiative, asking the Legislature to increase the proposed local grants funding for NYSCA by $4.5 million to $36.1 million with a goal of reaching $50 million within the next four years. The Coalition also wants to see the Legislature commit to join public hearings around the State to begin a discussion about how NYSCA can be re-conceived in its six decade."It is time to return to the vision and commitment of the early years of the NY State Council on the Arts, when Governor Rockefeller and the Legislature declared that public support of the arts would 'insure that the role of the arts in the life of communities would conintue to grow,'" Munn said. "NY State's commitment to the arts set the stage for the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts, and led the way for other states to emulate their actions."