Final state budget must include more spending on arts

The arts are good for New York. They build community, bring dollars to the economy, and stimulate business investment and job growth. And the state’s investment is crucial to its success. We thank the Assembly and Senate for their commitment to fund the arts, and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewartcousins for her visionary investment in regional arts councils. We hope Gov. Kathy Hochul will agree and increase funding for the arts across New York state.

Last summer a bombshell report, “Upstate’s Creative Spark: How the Arts is Catalyzing Economic Vitality Across Upstate New York,” by the Center for Urban Future, gave irrefutable proof that the arts are stimulating economic growth across upstate. In the Capital Region, artists are moving here at a higher rate than the general population, bringing with them investment in our community and expanded methods to serve our growing needs.

Last year, the Arts Center of the Capital Region, along with eight other arts councils, received a special allocation that allowed us to increase our grantmaking from under $100,000 to over $500,000 in grants across Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties. Prior to increased investment, we saw 12 applications from artists for projects. Today, our artist applications have boomed to 170. Artists are here making our region a better place to live. This helps all of us as businesses look to move here or expand, which generates more jobs and tax revenues.

We thank the Assembly and Senate for recognizing the power of the arts by increasing funding to the New York State Council on the Arts and to the regional councils. The state’s investment has had a profound impact here and across New York state. We hope it continues.

Elizabeth Reiss Troy CEO, Arts Center of the Capital Region