Arts leaders grateful for CARES Act funding
While leaders of the arts community are pleased with the $20 million in CARES Act funding that Gov. Mike DeWine recently designated for their sector, it might be the thought that counts most.
The amount is short of a cure-all, but it represents an important step for arts groups, which had been lobbying for months for economic relief and feeling left out of previous distributions of the $1.2 billion the state received from the federal government to help alleviate the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The most important thing for us is the recognition, regardless of the amount,” said Angela Meleca, executive director of the nonprofit organization Ohio Citizens for the Arts. “The fact is that (lawmakers) recognize the importance of arts and culture in Ohio, and that we were listened to and heard.”
Meleca and others had framed their pitch as a business issue, pointing to
the latest Ohio labor statistics that show that the arts and entertainment industry has suffered a 29.2% loss of jobs this year — the highest percentage loss of any sector. By comparison, the state’s hospitality industry is off 23.1% and the food service industry is off 22%.
“Certainly, the arts are important to the public, but these also are skilled jobs,” Meleca said. “This is a business crisis.”
The Ohio Arts Council is in charge of issuing the funds, which were announced Oct. 23. Groups must apply, which involves sending the OAC a statement of need, according to the council’s guidelines.
Those guidelines also stipulate that grants will go only to groups that have been recently approved for OAC multiyear funding. Spokesman Justin Nigro said about 350 organizations are eligible, and that it is logical that groups with larger budgets will get larger grants.
“We want smaller and mid-sized groups to be part of this relief, too, though,” Nigro said. “Because they may not have an endowment or access to the same level of philanthropic base as the bigger groups.”
The funds will be awarded in early December. The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA), which owns the city’s major theaters, is the dominant arts group in central Ohio. It has been devastated by the complete shutdown of national touring companies, as it relies on income from theaters for about 90% of its revenue. It has laid off 45 full-time staffers .
With a budget of about $25 million, though, whatever CAPA gets from the $20 million pot that must be split statewide won’t come close to filling the gap.
“I am thrilled we got this, and the money will help,” CAPA president Chad Whittington said. “But it doesn’t solve all of our financial problems. It takes a significant amount of dollars to really move the needle for us.”
In September, Whittington said that if no government funding was received, the group would be in dire straits financially by the end of June. Last week, Whittington said he now was planning on stretching the budget to make it to September 2021, when he hopes touring shows can resume.
“I’m confident we will find a way to get there,” he said. “This support helps lessen that burden.” kgordon@dispatch.com
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