ArtServeMI: Budget Hearing, Arts Ed & IT Assistance

Message from Mike Latvis, Director of Public Policy at ArtServe Michigan:

BUDGET HEARING, ARTS EDUCATION AND I.T. ASSISTANCE

GENERAL GOVERNMENT TESTIMONY

On Tuesday, Jennifer Goulet and I testified before the House Appropriations General Government Subcommittee in support of the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. We testified on the importance of funding for the state arts council and explained the economic return received through cultural tourism as well as cultural economic development. In the end, ArtServe requested that the committee fund the MCACA grant budget at $9 million for Fiscal Year 2011.

As you know, the Governor's 2011 budget proposal allocates $2.367 million for arts and cultural grants. However, when you look closer you find that this includes the Council's administration budget to support three FTE positions, and funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and income tax check-off revenues at levels likely higher than will be realized. Under the Governor's recommendation, the MCACA will face an estimated $500,000 decrease in 2011 with a grant budget of just $1.8 million and a state investment of only $1 million considering federal NEA funds will be over $800,000.

As you will read in our testimony, a recent report released by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's Corporate Research Unit showed that, in 2008, Cultural Tourism accounted for $1.8 billion in tourism spending in Michigan. That's 15% of the state's yearly tourism dollars, yet the state is only able to support the host institutions with $1 million in funding for Fiscal Year 2011.

To read the MEDC Tourism report please CLICK HERE
To read Jennifer and Mike's testimony please CLICK HERE

The committee will release its budget recommendations to the full Appropriations Committee this coming Tuesday, March 9th and will serve as the first step in the long budgetary process. From now until Tuesday, ArtServe will be contacting advocates who live in each subcommittee member's district to ask them to urge their representative to support ArtServe's request. Following the release of the subcommittee's budget we will be sending out a statewide call to action for each advocate to contact their State Representative.

Stay Tuned...


ARTS EDUCATION ASSISTANCE

Is your school district or school considering cuts to the arts in the coming school year? If cuts to arts education are being considered ArtServe wants to help. Our Local Arts Action Network is a local community-activated alert system, that allows you to gather other advocates in your area at a moments notice. In order to recieve this assistance all we ask is that you email the following information to mike@artservemichigan.org

1. Your name and contact information (e-mail, phone, fax, snail mail address)
2. If known, include the name of your district's fine arts coordinator
3. Brief description of the issue
4. Name of group discussing, taking up or voting on the issue (i.e., city council members, county commission, school board, chamber of commerce)
5. Name of city or county affected by the issue
6. Meeting date/time/location
7. Action you are requesting of fellow advocates (i.e., attend, sign a petition, call or write local elected officials, media, etc.)

Once ArtServe Michigan is notified, an e-mail will be sent to subscribers of the Public Policy EAlerts who live in your city (or county if it is a countywide issue), passing along the above info provided by you and inviting them to contact you if they want to get involved. This also serves as a way that ArtServe can help you build and strengthen your local lines of communication among arts advocates.

To ensure the privacy of all subscribers of the Public Policy E-Alerts, we will blind carbon copy (BCC) every member who would be included in the Local Arts Action Network list.
The e-mail will look like it came from Mike Latvis and will only contain the requester's contact information, making the LAAN an optional service.

For additional information and arts education resources please download our Arts Education Action Toolkit


I.T. ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE FOR METRO DETROIT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS

Highway T (formerly NPower Michigan) is offering a series of technology assessments, workshops, and clinics to Arts and Cultural organizations in the Metro Detroit area thanks to a grant from the Kresge Foundation. Working directly with a consultant, Highway T can assist your organization in developing a technology plan that can help you best utilize tech to further your mission. All organizations receiving an assessment will be eligible to receive up to $600 in a matching grant towards improving their information technology systems. The workshops and clinics will be centered on using technology to become more efficient and to better communicate with your community. If you are interested in any of these opportunities, contact Zakia Beshara at zakia@highwayt.org. Highway T is a program of the Michigan Nonprofit Association.

As always, if you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact ArtServe MI's Director of Public Policy, Mike Latvis directly at mike@artservemichigan.org or 248-379-5897.