In 2020, public funding for the arts (administered by Houston Arts Alliance, a private non-profit) was decreased by 42% as a result of the downturn in economic activity. This year, public funding has been projected to decrease by a whopping 63% of its already depressed forecast to help pay 2020 grantees in full. This has exposed how disaster-prone public funding for the arts continues to be in Houston.
Read our op ed: The arts got you through the pandemic. It’s time to support artists, published in the Houston Chronicle, April 29, 2021.
What can I do?
- Join us in petitioning the City of Houston to direct some of its stimulus funding from the American Rescue Plan towards keeping the arts eco-system in Houston afloat and creating jobs for artists. We’ll be holding our first #StandWithHoustonArtists Meeting at 6:00PM on May 6 where you can gather your fellow advocates on Zoom to call, email, tweet your Council Members with the relevant information. Then on May 7, we will be holding a Zoom Support Desk from 3:00-5:00PM where you can get support to continue doing all that good work! To register, click here, or on the links above.
- If you’re a seasoned civic activist (yes, you are!), start by send a letter to the Mayor of Houston, or your City Council Member, call, tweet or tag your Council Members with our call script as a guide and tell them to #StandWithHoustonArtists
- Sign up for our newsletter to find out about our actions.
- Share this page with your friends and fellow art supporters.