Call to Action: $3 million for Arts Relief in WNC
Arts North Carolina is requesting that the NC General Assembly immediately allocate at least $3 million to the NC Arts Council to be invested in the Arts AVL Emergency Relief Fund which is already providing financial assistance to artists of all types across all 26 counties impacted by the storm. Recovery from Helene will be a long and difficult process, requiring investment, resolve, and vision. But right now, thousands of artists are struggling across western North Carolina because of the devastation caused by Helene and need economic relief immediately.
Take two minutes to write to your NC state representatives in order to restart the cultural and economic engine that exists in our mountains. Ask them to support this $3 million allocation now, as well as future investments to help rebuild and renew the creative industries in western North Carolina and across the entire state.
The devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina was catastrophic. In addition to the horrible loss of life, it has crippled communities across the region with unprecedented damage to property and infrastructure as well as economic paralysis. The artists, craftspeople, musicians, and creative businesses in the mountains not only enrich their communities, but they are a massive economic force employing nearly 16,000 people and generating over $782 million in sales in the 23 westernmost counties in 2021 by importing visitors and exporting culture.
The NC Arts Council utilized local arts organizations, including Arts AVL, to distribute nearly $25 million in federal relief funding during the pandemic, which was entrusted to them by the NC General Assembly. The Arts AVL relief program currently offers only $500 per artists, but in the first week received over 1,000 applications, more than 80% of whom needed the money for bills, and over 60% needing additional funds just to buy food. Current efforts are falling short of this demand and the relief funding offered must be expanded quickly to truly address the needs of the industry.
The 15,994 North Carolinians employed by the creative industries in the 23 westernmost counties in 2021 earned over $312 million annually with the number one classification of workers being independent artists, writers and performers. Relief efforts are falling short of the tremendous need in the counties affected by Helene and if we don’t invest now in these photographers, musicians, writers, designers, fine artists and others then they will be forced to leave the state and irrevocably damage the economy and cultural fabric of the region for generations.