Leaders of local cultural and art institutions joined Democratic state lawmakers to address the community’s concerns over the nearly 90 percent dip in Florida’s art funding in a town hall at the Orlando Repertory Theatre Tuesday.
Reps. Anna Eskamani and Carlos Guillermo Smith, both Democrats who hosted the town hall, asked the audience to call on their representatives to put more funding into the arts.
Behind the orchestras, science center exhibits, and the costumes of the theatre, panelists highlighted the strong business case and return on investment offered by the arts community.
Panelists touted job creation and the intersection of the arts with science and medicine as reasons for the state to invest in the arts. And they said the state funding shortfall meant more hours spent applying for grants.
Ci Woolfolk is a new artist in the area who has started arts activism in the community. Woolfolk also wanted to hear from fledgling artists who have been impacted.
“I definitely was looking for the visibility of kinda the unknowns the buddings the hermits the not so seasoned individuals,” they said.
Flora Maria García of United Arts of Central Florida said the organization, which benefits from state funding, has initiated a program that helps smaller arts organizations receive financial support.