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Arts advocates plan to attend Citizens’ Day at the Legislature

Area arts advocates plan to meet with legislators next month to discuss funding for the arts in the upcoming fiscal year.

Citizens’ Day at the Legislature, which is organized by Missouri Citizens for the Arts, has become an annual event. It will be held Feb. 11 in Jefferson City.

The arts advocates will meet with their local representatives and senators to discuss the Missouri Citizens for the Arts’ advocacy position for the current session and to emphasize the benefits that the arts industry brings to the community and residents of Missouri.

Betty Schaper, director of the Mineral Area Council on the Arts, said ideally they would like to receive about $5.9 million from the state. They are also asking that $10 million be placed into the Cultural Trust and $302,000 to fund the Fine Arts Academy in Springfield.

Schaper added they are not optimistic they will get what they ask for.

Arts advocates need at least $1 million to match money from the federal government. They are hoping to get about $4.5 million in funding and they hope to replace the $3.9 million that was borrowed from the Cultural Trust this year.

The Missouri Arts Council, a division of the Department of Economic Development and the state’s art grant-making agency, did not receive an appropriation from general revenue for fiscal year 2004.

Because it was zero-funded, the arts council was forced to use money generated from interest acquired from the Cultural Trust, which is meant to be an endowment for the arts. Over the past few years, the arts council has even struggled to get money for the trust, which is generated from a tax for out-of-state athletes and entertainers. The Office of Administration has estimated $22 million is currently being collected from the tax.

Even with less funding, the Missouri Arts Council awarded grants this year to more than 275 arts groups in Missouri to support programs in arts education, arts services, community arts, touring and discipline programs.

Schaper said the amount the Missouri Arts Council received this year was hardly enough to operate on. Grants to community arts councils have dwindled to 50 percent of what they once were.

Mineral Area Council on the Arts was awarded about $22,000 from the Missouri Arts Council. The funds are used to pay for organizational costs, school programs, public performances and lectures.

Three years ago, the arts group was receiving $45,000 in funding.

Schaper said they will try to expose the new legislators to the arts. A number of new legislators joined the General Assembly last year due to term limits expiring. Schaper said they will try to educate them on the arts and plead their case.

In addition to meeting with legislators, advocates will attend a performance by newEar of Kansas City in the Capitol Rotunda.

Following the performance, the 2004 Missouri Arts Awards will be presented.

The recipients are Annelise Mertz of St. Louis, Arts Education; Coterie Theater of Kansas City, Arts Organization; Agnes Wilcox of St. Louis, Individual Artist; Kyna Iman of Salisbury, Leadership in the Arts; and Ken and Nancy Kranzberg of St. Louis, Philanthropy. Frances Poteet will receive the first Ruby Missouri Arts Council Award for her groundbreaking achievements as executive director of Missouri Arts Council from 1968 to 1973.

Initiated in 1983, the Missouri Arts Award is Missouri’s highest honor to individuals and institutions that have made profound and lasting contributions to the cultural and artistic climate of the state.

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