On April 13, the House Appropriations Committee voted to eliminate the Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) budget beginning with the 2011 fiscal year. If the vote is passed, GCA (the grassroots program that ensures there is arts programming in every Georgia county) will cease operations and Georgia will be the only state without a state-funded arts agency.
In addition, Georgia will be ineligible for money from the National Endowment for the Arts, which funds programs throughout the state, as the grant is contingent upon a GCA budget of at least $900,000.
However, we’re not just foregoing a production here and a play there. If passed, this legislation will damage our economy through a loss of revenue and jobs, and will essentially remove our gateway to humanities and the arts. Don’t let that happen. If the arts matter to you, take action. Click here to make your voice heard.
Thanks to a lot of grassroots organizing, some funding has been restored:
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9F70UUG1.htm