Art and Culture Deserves Our Investment
When you choose a creative endeavor to which you dedicate your life, you’re choosing to invest the emotional fibers of your being. The way in which you process experience, the physical form your joy takes on, how you connect with others. We create because it’s the only way we know how to feel.
Something I think is a little more difficult to grasp for creatives, and I’m speaking generally here, is the economics of the arts.
Iowa Cultural Coalition is working to change that. The coalition is an organizing body dedicated to advocating for investment in arts and culture in our state. The non profit has officially been incorporated since 2004, but was born out of decades of citizen advocacy for support of arts and culture in our state.
The organization held its Arts Advocacy Day at the Capitol on March 1st. Art and cultural workers met with legislators to encourage more investment in the arts. My coworker, Kate, attended the event. We spend much of our time at CultureALL sharing the emotional and psychological benefits of connecting with art and culture. Kate was able to explore the economic benefits, and what she learned was revelatory for me.
Iowa currently appropriates $0.32 per Iowan in arts and culture funding. That ranks us as 46th. Connecticut tops the list with $9.51. Minnesota leads the Midwest at $7.34, coming in second. Next, we have Ohio at 13th with $1.70, Nebraska at 17th with $1.29, Michigan at 24th with $0.98, Illinois at 26th with $0.80, and Indiana at 34th with $0.53. Kansas invests $0.17, putting them 47th, and Wisconsin rounds out the Midwest with $0.14 at 49th.
Why is this important?
The proven emotional and psychological health benefits of arts and culture access aside, investing in art is fiscally responsible. According to Iowa Cultural Coalition’s Public Investment Report, “every $1.00 in grant funding leverages another $9 in public and private funds.” The population of Iowa is approximately 3.2 million. If our state legislators increase our investment to $1.00 per Iowan, as the Iowa Cultural Coalition advocates for, our state would receive nearly $28.8 million back. Money that could improve our failing bridges, support our teachers that our government is hell-bent on ostracizing, provide programs that welcome people to our state.
Our governor is pretty proud of herself for Iowa ending 2022 with a fiscal surplus of $1.91 billion. Use those tax dollars to support us, to invest in our wellbeing. Increase the funding for arts and culture in Iowa.
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