NCGA UPDATE: Arts Assistance is Needed and there is Need for the Arts
Please read this message that was sent today to the Joint Caucus on Arts and Arts Education concerning the impact of COVID-19 on the nonprofit arts sector in North Carolina and our request that the NC General Assembly allocate $3 million to the NC Arts Council to be distributed to arts organizations across the state that are struggling because of COVID-19.
Members of the Joint Caucus on Arts and Arts Education,
I hope this finds all of you and your loved ones healthy and safe during this global health crisis. I am grateful to you all for your leadership in protecting the public health and safety of our citizens, as well as addressing the myriad of unprecedented challenges, faced by all citizens and every industry, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
North Carolina’s nonprofit arts industry has suffered a devastating blow due to events that were cancelled in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. While arts organizations have reported direct losses of over $15 million, estimates of the total negative economic impact are between $50 million and $100 million. Over 3 million people were not able to participate in cancelled events, and hundreds of employees are laid-off or furloughed. The second wave of summer cancellations has started, including organizations such as American Dance Festival in Durham and Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, who have been forced to shutter their 2020 seasons. When combined with expected losses in donations resulting from a plummeting economy, the ability of arts organizations to plan for, not to mention sell admission to, events and performances in the next year has basically ground to a halt.
However, the arts industry has not been dormant during this crisis. Costume shops and arts facilities from Charlotte and Fayetteville to Tryon and Ocean Isle have been repurposed to create masks for health care workers on the front lines. Arts organization from the mountains to the coast have used technology to bring their cultural offerings into the homes of millions and maintain a sense of community and connection. Arts instruction and engagement for all ages has forged new partnerships with school systems and others to reach school aged students as well as veterans and seniors who are particularly at risk and therefore isolated as a result of this pandemic. In the face of our dark clouds, this week Arts NC has started to collect and share these Silver Lining Stories.
The nonprofit arts sector is vital to North Carolina’s economy, supporting nearly 72,000 full-time equivalent jobs and contributing $2.12 billion to the economy. The arts drive hundreds of millions of dollars in spending for other industries, especially restaurants. Studies show that the arts attract one third of their patrons from visitors that spend twice as much money at other local businesses. Arts programs have been proven to help the most at-risk students graduate and struggling rural economies thrive. The arts are essential to not only build economies, but to build communities, and we will need them to do both as North Carolina reopens and recovers from the coronavirus.
To ensure that arts organizations can survive the coming months so that they can help North Carolina rebound and thrive in the years to come, we ask that the NC General Assembly allocate $3 million to the NC Arts Council to be distributed to arts organizations across the state that are struggling because of COVID-19. This amount does not come close to making the arts whole from their losses, but it will help these organizations to sustain themselves in the coming months so they can help to rebuild vibrant communities and economies across North Carolina.
You will find additional information attached to this email about the arts and culture sector in North Carolina, and the challenges we, like many others, face during this crisis. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly for further information.
Thank you for your time and consideration of our needs during this crisis.
With gratitude for your leadership and service in this difficult time,
Nate McGaha
Executive Director
Arts North Carolina