Officials are coordinating efforts to fight back against the House GOP eliminating state funding for arts and culture programs.
The budget recently passed by the House is over $5 billion smaller than the one passed by the Senate. Among the cuts is zeroing out all Michigan arts and cultural council grants.
Opponents say it would devastate the state’s creative sector and threaten thousands of jobs. Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan Director Lauren Ward says it’s an important part of Michigan’s economy.
“Statewide, arts and culture is about a $20 billion industry. It’s more than agriculture. It represents just under 3% of our state’s GDP.”
Ward says they have launched a campaign asking the Senate and Governor Gretchen Whitmer to stand their ground supporting arts and culture.
A rally in support of reestablishing funding takes place Tuesday, September 16th at the state Capitol.
Non-commercial, fact based reporting is made possible by your financial support. Make your donation to WEMU today to keep your community NPR station thriving.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on X (Twitter)
Contact WEMU News at 734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org
