arts alert: The Arts Are Victorious!
MCA
Minnesota Citizens for the Arts
2233 University Ave. W. #355
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-251-0868 fax 651-917-3561
staff at mncitizensforthearts.org
www.mncitizensforthearts.org
Arts Action Center
May 19, 2009
Another Historic Victory for the Arts!
Last night our seven year journey to create dedicated funding for the arts in Minnesota came to a victorious conclusion when the Senate, on a unanimous 67 to 0 vote, approved the bill that appropriates the first two years of proceeds from the constitutional amendment we passed last November. It is significant not just in Minnesota but also nationally, as it will put us among the top few states both in dollar investments in the arts and culture but also in per capita funding for the arts. Arts funding is under threat nationally as many states are suffering deficits like Minnesota. So our success in that context is even greater.
Funding to the arts via the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Councils will increase by $21,650,000 per year for the next two years, for a total of $43.3 million over two years from the amendment. Added to the $8.6 million we passed in the state’s economic development bill earlier in the session, there will now be just over $30M in state funding for the arts annually, compared to just over $10M annually for the arts this year.
These funds will go out in grants and services to Minnesotans in every county, supporting artists and arts organizations, and increasing access to the arts for all Minnesotans. Congratulations!
WHAT’S IN THE BILL
Here’s how it breaks down (in each year 2010 and 2011):
- $16,775,000 for Arts and Arts Access Initiatives, “to support Minnesota’s artists and arts organizations in creating, producing and presenting high-quality arts activities; to overcome barriers to accessing high-quality arts activities, and to instill the arts into the community and public life in this state.”
- $3,245,000 for Arts Education Collaborations, for “high-quality, age-appropriate arts education for Minnesotans of all ages to develop knowledge, skills, and understanding of the arts”
- $1,080,000 for Arts in Cultural Heritage, “for events and activities that represent the diverse ethnic and cultural arts traditions, including folk and traditional artists and art organizations represented in this state, ” and
- $550,000 for Fiscal Oversight and Accountability (to the MSAB). The first three items above will be available 70% from the MSAB and 30% from the Regional Arts Councils.
- In addition to the dedicated arts funding above, the libraries received $4.25M per year which “may be used to sponsor programs provided by regional libraries, or to provide grants to local arts and heritage programs for programs in partnership with regional libraries,” so there may be opportunities for artists and arts organizations to work with libraries to deliver these programs.
- Also, the Humanities Center received $300,000 per year for “museums and organizations celebrating the ethnic identities of Minnesotans” to give out in grants, so there may be opportunities for some artists and arts organizations to work with the Humanities Center.
In addition, over the next two years the Minnesota Historical Society will receive $14.4 million, public TV $6.3M, MPR $2.65M, AMPERS (local public radio) $2.65M, children’s museums $1M, the Science Museum $900,000, MN Zoos $900,000, libraries $8.5M, Indian Affairs Council (for projects related to the preservation of native languages) $1.9M, Perpich Center $1M, and the Humanities Center, $2.1M.
OUR HEROES
There are several great heroes in this story but the greatest of these is Sen. Richard Cohen of St. Paul, the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee and also the Co-Chair of the conference committee on our bill. Even though the House position was so bad on the the arts, he never waivered in his demand that at least 50% of the resources go to the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Councils so that they could go out in grants and services in every Minnesota County. His work in the conference committee was truly masterful, despite great odds. Another legislative hero is Sen. Tommassoni, who worked together with Sen. Cohen to make sure that the arts portion went where it was supposed to. In addition, Rep. Leon Lillie on the House side really helped the arts.
THANKS TO ALL
This wonderful outcome is also the result and culmination of the work of many people. Thank you first of all to the thousands of arts advocates who over the last seven years have had a hand in this momentous effort. Thank you to all of you who generated over 4200 letters to legislators in just the last couple of months, to those of you who phone-banked into legislative districts, the many hundreds of you who called your legislators, and the MCA board who, as usual, were heavily engaged and committed to advocating for the arts. It is the energy and enthusiasm of the Minnesota arts community, organized by Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, that makes this outcome possible. Thank you also to MCA’s lobbyist Larry Redmond who has dedicated pretty much all of his professional life to working with MCA to benefit the arts community in Minnesota. Thank you also to his co-workers Brian Halloran and Christopher Orr. Thank you also most particularly to Sara Shaylie and Mark Albers, MCA’s staff, who organized a very effective and forceful grassroots effort to make sure legislators knew what their constituents wanted them to do.
THE BACK STORY: HOW WE GOT HERE
We’ve spent the last seven years trying to put in place dedicated funding for the arts in Minnesota. That need has become even more urgent as the economy has eroded and artists and arts organzations in Minnesota have seen resources for the arts dropping on every front, foundation support eroding, and contributions declining as households tighten their belts. In 2008 after many years of effort by a large coaltion that included MCA and conservation groups, the legislature approved a ballot initiative to go to voters, increasing the state sales tax by 3/8 of one percent to create four dedicated funds for land, water, parks and arts. We then ran a statewide Vote Yes! campaign with conservationists to pass the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. In November, 2008, the Amendment passed by 56% percent of the vote, a resounding confirmation that Minnesotans were willing to raise their own taxes to preserve and enhance Minnesota’s great quality of life. The constitution now says that the Arts and Culture Fund, in particular, must go to support “arts, arts education, arts access and the preservation of our history and cultural heritage.”
We had asked that at least 50% of the Arts and Culture Fund go to the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Councils to ensure that it really does go for arts, arts education, arts access and the preservation of our cultural heritage. Today, in the first year, we delivered just short of 49% to the MSAB and RACs, (although the percentage is slightly lower in the second year because they spend slightly more money). The biggest fights were over this: what is the definition of “arts” and “preservation of our history and cultural heritage?” In the conference committee, the one thing that the House would not budge on was money for libraries, although libraries were never contemplated as something the amendment would fund. As a compromise, the conference committee agreed to give just short of $5 million per year to the libraries, targeted for programs that will definately include the arts. But they also agreed to most of our request for the MSAB and RACs.
It was a really brutal process of endless hearings and many late nights. The worst night was Sunday when Larry Redmond, MCA’s lobbyist, and I spent the entire night at the capitol, running home at 6 a.m. for a few quick hours of sleep before we were back at the capitol again for a 9 a.m. meeting. But this phase was just as important as passing the amendment with the voters, because in the end would the resources really end up where we had worked so hard to put them?
WHAT NEXT
The biggest worry now is the melt down on the state’s huge deficit, which has resulted in the Governor threatening to “unallot” (cut) hunks of the state’s budget in order to make it balance. The general fund arts money that we passed a week ago is part of the state’s regular budget, although it is such a small amount of money in the larger picture it wouldn’t do much to fix the state’s deficit.
In addition, the Governor has the power to veto this bill, or to line-item veto portions of the bill. However, because these amendment resources are dedicated and must be spent on what the amendment outlines, it would not help to balance the state budget if the Governor does veto anything in the bill, as the money would still be held in trust in the Arts and Culture Fund to be spent next session.
The State Arts Board, led by Sue Gens, and Regional Arts Councils, led by Leslie Schumacher, have already been working on a strategic plan for how the money will get out to the field. The bill that passed also requires the MSAB to manage a planning process for how to invest these new resources and to do a lot of reporting to the legislature on the uses of the funds. In addition, the MSAB has also been charged to run a contest to create a logo to be posted on projects funded from the amendment.
When will the resources be available? The new tax creating the resources begins on July 1, and then there will be a few months of transition as the money gets into the funds. Then the MSAB and RACs must set up their grantmaking structures to start getting the funds out to support the arts for all Minnesotans.
Congratulations to all!
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VIDEO LINKS
Check out two great videos from Arts Advocacy Day Held February 24, 2009:
Here’s a video of highlights from the Arts Advocacy Day kickoff rally on MN Stories by Chuck Olsen:
http://www.mnstories.com/
…and a 3 Minute Egg arts show by Matt Peiken with interviews of attendees and some footage of meetings with legislators:
http://www.mnstories.com/
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