ArtsGreensboro and local arts organizations attend Legislative Day as part of ArtsDay 2022 in Raleigh on June 7, 2022
Representatives from ArtsGreensboro, Forge Greensboro, GreenHill Center for North Carolina Art, Triad Stage, and the North Carolina Theatre Conference attended Legislative Day as part of ArtsDay 2022, which was sponsored by Arts North Carolina, in Raleigh last week. Legislative Day was an opportunity for art organizations, business owners, and community members to hold discussions with members of the Senate and House of Representatives about the benefits of the creative economy and why the arts matter in North Carolina.
ArtsGreensboro and the High Point Arts Council served as county captains for Guilford County. Representatives of local arts organizations met with Karrington Harris, legislative assistant for Rep. Ashton Clemmons, Mary Lee, legislative assistant for Rep. Pricey Harrison, Rep. Jon Hardister, and Sen. Amy Galey.
This year’s legislative requests included making the one-time additional $1 million Grassroots Arts Program grants in the current State budget a recurring allocation and allocating an additional $500,000 for North Carolina Arts Council General Grants. ArtsGreensboro is a Designated County Partner for the North Carolina Arts Council and facilitates Grassroots funding for Guilford County. Both requests will aid art organizations, businesses, and artists and empower ongoing investment in the North Carolina arts community.
“It is vital in a democracy that citizens continue to have conversations that inform and educate elected officials to enable them to make the best decisions and the best investments for local communities,” says Nate McGaha, executive director of Arts North Carolina. “That is why we advocate for the arts.”
“Getting time face to face with the people that ultimately decide how to allocate state funding is crucial,” says Jennie Savage, programs director of Forge Greensboro. “Similar to most arts organizations, we are not accurately expressed on a piece of paper in a short blurb, described in bar graphs or otherwise — our staff members are passionate creatives who tell the stories of the over 1,500 lives that have been improved by the Forge. Being able to shake hands and talk about the importance of our work to our representatives is absolutely invaluable.”
About ArtsGreensboro:
ArtsGreensboro invests in programs that provide access to the arts for all citizens, support arts integration in our schools, build capacity for our arts community and unify the community through the power of the arts.
