April 30, 2020

The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo Governor of New York State NY State Capitol Building Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo:

We, the undersigned arts organizations, from across New York State, urge you to maintain funding to the New York State Council on the Arts.

There is no doubt that the COVID crisis has deeply impacted New York State’s budget, and that our state is facing a fiscal emergency.

However, cutting the Arts Council’s budget is not a practical solution.

NYSCA operates with a $47 million* budget, and they distribute $43.8 million** in direct aid to localities, supporting 2,400 agencies across the state.

The agencies that NYSCA supports are vital to their communities. For example:

• Munson-William-Proctors Institute, Oneida County, plays a central role in driving Utica’s economic revival;

• Prattsville Art Center, Greene County, is a key contributor to the area’s recovery from Hurricane Irene;

• Auburn Public Theatre, Cayuga County, is instrumental in revitalizing downtown Auburn;

• Bronx Council on the Arts, Bronx County, has propelled the Bronx’s renaissance for decades; and

• In Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Allegany Counties: the nonprofit arts sector hires 10,000 FTEs.

Cutting funding to NYSCA will cut direct support to cities and towns across New York State, which will result in shuttered facilities and destabilized downtowns. When cultural centers close, businesses surrounding them struggle, street traffic is reduced, and neighborhoods decline.

Cutting NYSCA will cut our workforce, and lead to more unemployment in NYS. NYS will simply shift expenses from funding arts agencies to funding unemployment benefits.

NYSCA’s funding will be most necessary months from now, when federal programs dry up but we still struggle to operate in a new world of social distancing and COVID protocols.

The arts have already lost billions of dollars in revenue. We can afford to lose no more.

Statewide, the creative economy makes up 7.5% of the NYS GDP—equivalent*** to the shares of retail and construction combined. NYSCA’s $47 million budget is a solid investment.

We urge you, maintain New York State Council of the Arts budget, and keep New York State in business.

* 2020 NYS Budget Book ** NYSCA Website *** U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

With deep admiration: