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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2010 > March > 23 > Entry
Arts groups rally to oppose changes in city arts funding guideliness
Representatives from several dozen arts groups gathered Tuesday to strategize how to challenge changes in the city’s arts funding guidelines that could leave many cultural organizations ineligible for municipal monies.
At issue is new language that requires groups applying for city arts funding to offer “public activities that directly support tourism,” according to a document produced by the city’s cultural arts funding program. The guidelines also require organizations to keep track of and report on how many out-of-town tourists attend arts events and programs.
The city funds its cultural contracts program principally through monies collected from the nine percent tax on hotel-motel occupancy. Cultural funding receives the smallest share — 12 percent — of the occupancy tax fund. For the current fiscal year, the cultural contracts program distributed $5.2 million to more than 200 arts groups and projects.
Arts groups were notified of the new guideline changes by the city’s cultural funding program office on March 12. The deadline to apply for city funding is May 1.
The Austin Convention Center is allocated 50 percent of the hotel-motel occupancy tax revenue while 16 percent is allocated to the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau. About 22 percent funds a bond redemption fund used to pay for the Convention Center expansion. And the remaining 12 percent goes to the local arts groups.
According to cultural arts program office, the current cultural contractors have combined cash budgets of nearly $65 million and reached 4.3 million individuals, including more than 1 million tourists in 2009.
At its Monday night meeting the Austin arts commission, which does not have the authority to change funding guidelines, voted unanimously to ask the City Council not to accept the changes.
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By Kirk Lynn
April 1, 2010 11:59 AM | Link to this
The note by Jim is incorrect. The new language was not from a legal ruling. It has been suspended for now and a dialog between the arts commission, the hotel motel lobby, local artists and more is being facilitated by the city gov’t. Join the dialog.
By Jim
March 26, 2010 1:00 PM | Link to this
The language came from a legal rulings that stated that the hotel occupancy tax that was created was designed to tax that (hotel) industry to help tourism get promoted. The government (Austin Arts Comm in this case) is not suppposed to have carte blanche on how they spend it, but they did until this ruling. City council is trying to make sure they adhere to the law, not the artistic whims of the commission.
By janice joplin artist
March 24, 2010 4:35 PM | Link to this
i have supported my self for almost 30 years selling my art work with out the benifit of grant or funding of any sort .What would make a difference in san antonio in particular would be to provide free parking of some sort for art events, the parking lots raise their prices to take advantage of any non tourists that venture down town so guess what they don’t come.
By Kirk Lynn
March 23, 2010 4:30 PM | Link to this
You report on the “new language that requires groups applying for city arts funding to offer ‘public activities that directly support tourism.’” But from where does the “new language” come? Who has suggested or advocated for new language? What council-member? Or what lobbyist?