February 14, 2011 | Read Time: 1 minute
A new study shows exactly how much cash-starved states have been squeezing their arts budgets during the economic downturn. Legislatures across the country cut appropriations to state arts agencies by 7.2 percent in the 2011 fiscal year, to $272-million. And that was the third straight year of cuts, it found, meaning legislatures have slashed spending on arts agencies by 19 percent since the recession started.
A report on the study, conducted by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, said that arts spending has never recovered from the 2001-2 recession. State arts agencies—which exist in all of the states and provide grants and other help to nonprofit arts organizations–get more than three-fourths of their revenue from legislative appropriations.
Taking into account inflation, the report said that spending has plummeted 45 percent since 2002.
The picture is not likely to improve in the 2012 fiscal year, it added, since the federal economic-stimulus money that has been helping prop up states is scheduled to run out.
Indeed, some governors have already proposed big cuts to their arts budgets for next year. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, for example, has proposed suspending the Texas Commission on the Arts to save $5.1-million.
