A CALL TO ACTION!!!!!!!

THE ARTS FUNDING IN NEW JERSEY IS IN JEOPARDY

YOU CAN HELP!!!

On Monday, Governor McGreevey announced that all cultural funding would be eliminated in his budget proposal that was made public on Tuesday. Besides all grant funding for the New Jersey Council on the Arts, the NJ Cultural Trust and the NJ Historical Commission, 30 positions staffing these agencies were also eliminated. The Department of State, the umbrella agency for all cultural/historical granting,  took a disproportionate budget hit when compared to other departments with 86% of their budget being cut. This almost entirely eliminates the Department of State programs.

The Governor has told the arts community to “scream bloody murder” to a legislature that demanded he cut $300 million more from a budget that was suffering from “the perfect (economic) storm.”

The next day the Governor, in his budget message said, “…we must preserve and enhance the values and quality of life embodied by New Jerseyans from the Delaware to the Shore and from High Point to Cape May.” Tell him and the state legislators that there will be no discussion about values or quality of life in New Jersey without the arts and culture! Be angry--this is barbaric!

If you care about the arts, arts education and the quality of life in New Jersey, we urge you to make your voice heard.

PLEASE WRITE, CALL AND/OR E-MAIL THE GOVERNOR AND YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY!

Visit the ArtPRIDE website at http://www.artpridenj.com/ to find out who your legislators are. You can obtain their address and e-mail information directly from the ArtPride website.

Below is a sample letter that you may use as a model to send to your legislators. And please make sure to send a copy of this letter to Governor McGreevey. PLEASE take action now. Our cultural life is being attacked and we must do all we can to ensure that the arts continue to be supported by our state.

Dear Legislator:

 As a resident and voter of this state, the arts in New Jersey matter to me and my family and are one of things I treasure about living in New Jersey.

I am saddened and outraged that our Governor has sent the residents of our state the message that the value of the arts equals zero.

 I urge you to keep funding for the New Jersey State Council on the Arts level at $18 million for the coming year so that we may continue to enjoy all the cultural performances and programs that New Jersey arts organizations provide each year.

 The arts in New Jersey are important to our children and the economic development of our communities.

 The nonprofit arts generate $1 billion each year, provide more than 11,000 jobs statewide and return over $27 million in tax revenue annually.  The elimination of the New Jersey State Arts Council DOES NOT make good business sense. The arts are one of the state supported programs that generate money back into the state’s economy.

 Over 200 cultural organizations in every corner of the state are supported by the $18 million from the State Arts Council.  Yes, there are tough budget choices. But, cutting the small sum allotted to the State’s arts organizations (less than 1/10 of 1% of the State budget) won’t mean much in the bigger picture, but will be devastating to New Jersey’s cultural groups and the more than 4.5 million schoolchildren that benefit from arts education programs throughout the state.

 Please respect the important and meaningful work being done by New Jersey artists and arts organizations.  New Jersey is better than this—we must do better.

 If you care about the arts, arts education and the quality of life in New Jersey for every resident, we urge you to keep funding for the arts level at $18 million for FY04.  Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

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