NCGA Arts Caucus Discussed WNC Relief, Arts Funding, and More…
On Tuesday, April 29th the NC General Assembly Joint Caucus on the Arts and Arts Education gathered to learn about the impact of Hurricane Helene on the arts in western North Carolina, the need for additional funding for NC Arts Council grants and A+ Schools of North Carolina, and why the restrictions on Grassroots Arts Program grant distribution are inherently flawed. Legislators also discussed the need for comprehensive reform of event ticketing, especially in the resale market, and the need for all NC elementary school students to receive consistent standards-based performing and visual arts instruction by a subject-certified educator.
The meeting began as NC Arts Council Deputy Director Vicki Vitiello presented data on the scope and scale of the creative industries in western North Carolina, and the massive impact Hurricane Helene had on the lives and livelihoods of the artists and arts workers in those counties. She then highlighted the successful recovery of the NC nonprofit arts sector from the pandemic, having grown 5% over seven years, contrasted against the national industry, which saw a 7% decline over the same period.
Then Brandon Johnson, Executive Director of Madison County Arts Council, told the Arts Caucus about how Hurricane Helene devastated their building, flooding the entire city of Marshall, which sits right on the banks of the French Broad River, as well as the flood damage to the Marshall High School Studios, which is on an island in the river and home to many artists and small businesses. He also recounted how the Madison County community came to the aid of the many businesses and homeowners that were displaced by the storm.
Arts North Carolina Executive Director Nate McGaha then outlined several appropriations requests including $10 million for arts relief and recovery in western North Carolina, increased funding for NC Arts Council General Grants, to make recurring the $750,000 allocation to A+ Schools of North Carolina over the last two years, and to remove the restriction on Grassroots Arts Program grants so that all funding can be awarded to all 100 counties. Nate also discussed H418, which would require all K-5 students to receive 30 minutes each of standards-based performing and visual arts instruction every five instructional days from a subject-certified educator in a standard-sized class.
Senator Jay Chaudhuri then reported on the work he and Senator Vickie Sawyer have been doing on legislation to curb fraudulent and misleading ticket resale practices. These efforts would ban speculative ticket sales, require resellers to be transparent by identifying themselves as resellers and not taking steps to appear to be the venue or primary sales outlet, and ban the use of “bots” to circumvent sales restrictions.
The Joint Caucus on Arts and Arts Education was formed in 2019 to “educate Members of the House and Senate on the economic, education, and civic impact of the arts industry in North Carolina.“ It has been an invaluable tool for communicating with Members of the NC General Assembly and coalescing leadership around the most important funding and policy initiatives supporting the arts and arts education across the state.