Dear Friends and Followers of ART 180:
You may have heard about the proposed massive cuts to state arts funding. That's because the arts advocates in our community have been doing a fine job of spreading the word. But if you haven't heard--or simply haven't yet taken action--please make time in in the next two days to contact your legislator or participate in Thursday's activities to prevent the potentially devastating cuts from going through.
This affects not only ART 180, but every arts organization in the state, artists and schools with artists-in-residence, and every nonprofit in the state that does any arts-related programming and gets a piece of the VCA pie. And ultimately, it affects our entire Commonwealth. Just imagine: NO more state funding for the arts in two years. NONE!
Read on for more details. We know that our educational system and all areas of our state economy are suffering, but please do what you are able to prevent this loss, and THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. Read on...
YOUR ACTION IS NEEDED TO AVOID THE ELIMINATION OF STATE ARTS FUNDING
The greatest threat to public support for arts and cultural institutions in Virginia in the past two decades is pending before the House of Delegates and will be voted on this Thursday, February 25.
On Sunday, the House Appropriations Committee recommended elimination of the Virginia Commission for Arts and all arts grants funding as part of the House's proposed 2011-2012 budget. The full House will vote on this budget on Thursday. We believe that legislative supporters of the arts will mount an effort to delete this provision from the House budget package and thus to restore funding for the Commission and its grants to arts and cultural institutions across Virginia, large and small.
Please call your legislators immediately and ask them to take action to eliminate this provision from the House budget. If you can, attend the debate this Thursday at 1pm and/or try to visit with your legislator Thursday morning. Information regarding how to determine who is your legislator and how to contact him or her click on the link at the bottom.
If this devastating proposal is to be reversed, we need nothing less than an unprecedented outpouring of public outcry over this action. Only you can make that happen. Please don't assume that "somebody else" will make these calls. We need every supporter of the arts to stand up and be counted in the next two days.
What exactly are we asking for? We ask the House to delete, from the proposed House amendments to the Budget Bill (House Bill 30), the elimination of all funding for arts grants through the Virginia Commission for the Arts. The proposal to eliminate this funding is part of Item 0.9 #2h, paragraph L., reductions to Items 233 and 234.
Go here for legislator's contact information
More on Art 180 and their upcoming events here
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