It seems to me that the last time you heard from us about the city’s arts budget cuts, we were doing nothing but complaining, whining, moaning, even crying.
So I feel we were remiss in not posting some of this info from a press release last week from John McInerney at the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance:
Eighty-six percent of the initial arts cuts have been restored, or, to put it another way, $3.5 million of the 4.5 million in cultural funding cuts were restored to the final budget.
The city’s Office of Arts & Culture is still gone. This inside-City Hall voice for the arts dissolves although the Percent for Art and Art in City Hall programs will continue. I can’t imagine they won’t be hampered, however, by the loss of support and leadersihp, given the current administration’s apparent lack of interest in the arts.
Other reductions include funding for the city’s Cultural Fund and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Cultural Fund was cut 17 percent, from $2.4 million to $2 million. This fund provides general operating support to more than 200 local organizations, many of whom use the funding to deliver arts education to the city’s school children.
The PMA will now get $2 million, which is $250,000 less than last year, and represents only about one-third of what the city is obligated to contribute to the museum for security and maintenance of the city-owned building.
