Artists, arts advocates rally at City Hall tonight
Protestors will converge on the building’s steps at 5 p.m.
- Joeff Davis
- 2010 rally to save Georgia Council for the Arts
Last week, the City of Atlanta announced a new round of budgetary belt-tightening that, yet again, puts arts funding on the proverbial chopping block. Last year it was the state legislature’s proposed elimination of the Georgia Council for the Arts. Currently, the proposed city budget for fiscal year 2012 includes a 50 percent reduction in funding for the city’s Office of Cultural Affairs, a significant source of funding for local artists and arts organizations of all shapes and sizes.
Jeremy Abernathy breaks down the proposed cuts over on BurnAway, noting an important twist:
According to a budget reduction notice in an email sent on Thursday by Monica Prothro, project supervisor of the Contracts for Arts Services program, this doesn’t just mean less money for everyone. It means that funding will be limited to 30 organizations (not small groups, but primarily the big names), and funding for individual artists and community organizations will simply stop altogether. Emphasis added
Artists, arts advocates and art lovers have planned a rally at the Capitol to protest the 2012 budget and it’s proposed cuts to arts funding. Full event details after the jump.