(from LOUISIANA CITIZENS FOR THE ARTS )
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE ARTS BUDGET TESTIMONY
SCHEDULED FOR TODAY & TOMORROW
We need EVERYONE’S Voice!
Dear Friends and Arts Supporters,
Louisiana Citizens for the Arts (LCA) Urges You to Ask Members of the Senate Finance Committee to Vote FOR an Increase in Arts Funding. This is our LAST chance to have funding restored.
The timing could not be better for us after Wednesday’s highly successful Advocacy Day in the Capitol! To those of you who were able to participate THANK YOU! For those of you who were unable to make the trip to Baton Rouge, here’s your chance to SHOUT OUT FOR THE ARTS! We need you to contact Senate Finance TWICE . . . once today (Friday) and again on Saturday morning.
The Lieutenant Governor will be testifying to the Senate Finance Committee Friday and representatives of LCA will offer Public Testimony Saturday. We need you to affirm their message by sending your email to Legislators on the Committee ASAP!
Please take 3 minutes to contact Committee Members NOW. It’s as easy as 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . just go to http://louisianacitizensforthearts.org
Under the Take Action box, “Click Here to Write Your Legislators” and you will be taken to the ALERT page. UnderLouisiana, click Take Action. Read the action alert at the top of the page and scroll down to the MESSAGE to the members of the Senate Finance Committee. Feel free to add a personal message. Then, scroll down to the Sender Information and complete the information requested. Once this is done, just hit “send message” and you’re done! THEN forward this message on to all your friends and other arts advocates. Remember, with your help we were able to have the arts funding reinstated last year. We NEED everyone’s help again this year to do it again! Below is a detailed explanation of the current situation.
A Recap of What’s Happening~~
Both the Decentralized Arts Funding (DAF) and the Statewide Arts Grants (SAG) programs have been targeted with crippling cuts. In the current bill all that’s remaining for DAF is $1 million and only $959,000 remains for SAG (that is a 60% reduction in funding levels from Fiscal Year 2009!).
Louisiana Citizens for the Arts is requesting the Legislature to move nearer to the 2009 levels by:
· Restoring $1 Million of funding to the DAF program to which would result in a Fiscal Year 2013 funding of $2,000,000 . The DAF program supports organizations in EVERY parish on a per capita basis.
· Adding $1 Million offunding to the SAG program to provide $1,959.000, which enables stabilization, capacity building and arts-in-education grants to our major arts organizations and regional and local arts agencies.
How are you affected?
If the Legislature does not provide thismodest increase, our Louisiana arts organizations will become further crippled. The severe ripple effect? Artists, teachers, festivals, libraries, museums and theaters alike will be negatively impacted. No community will remain untouched and the economic loss will rank second only to the loss in social profit, community and quality of life. Culture is Louisiana’s finest natural resource. We must nurture and protect it for it to flourish.
How can you help?
Respond to this action alert NOW. If you have ever applied for arts grants, work for a cultural non-profit, are one of the thousands of artists and cultural workers in Louisiana, or an audience member who loves arts events in Louisiana, help us to help you.
Now is the time for YOU TO RAISEYOUR VOICE!
Send a message NOW asking the Senate Finance Committee members to support our request for the increase in funding. Go to www. http://louisianacitizensforthearts.org and TAKE ACTION NOW!
For ARTS sake!
Christie Weeks, Chair
Gerd Wuestemann, Vice-chair for Advocacy
Tommy Usrey, Past Chair
LOUISIANA CITIZENS FOR THE ARTS
To become a contributing member of LCA, go to
http://louisianacitizensforthearts.org
LCA is supported solely by donations from citizens, businesses, and organizations who believe the arts are essential to our Louisiana economy, identity and way of life.. You can help at www.LouisianaCitizensfortheArts.org