Arts council crucial, needs more support

The contributions of the Danville Area Arts Council to the community highlight the importance of the Illinois Arts Council to the state's continued cultural, economic and educational growth.

Strategic investments by the Illinois Arts Council ensure that people of all ages and from all walks of life have the opportunity to experience and participate in the arts.

Unprecedented reductions to the Illinois Arts Council's budget in fiscal year 2008, though, have cut to the bone and are starting to cut off the limbs of the state's arts infrastructure. State funding for the Illinois Arts Council was slashed from $19.7 million to $15.2 million in FY2008. This forced the council to reduce general operating support grants to arts organizations by nearly 30 percent.

As a result, arts organizations throughout the state are scaling back.

Moreover, Illinois' reputation as a state that values creativity and fosters innovation is in jeopardy. Nationally, while 45 states increased their investments in their state arts agencies in FY2008, Illinois was one of three states to decrease this investment.

We have fallen behind much smaller states like Alabama and Mississippi in per capita spending on the arts.

State support for the arts is not a luxury – it is a smart investment. I urge Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Illinois General Assembly to restore Illinois' investment in the arts and appropriate $24 million for the Illinois Arts Council for fiscal year 2009.

RA JOY

Illinois Arts Alliance

Chicago