I believe the City of Seattle must do more to support arts capital projects. We provide a fraction of what the County and State provide. In 2011, the county funded over $900K in arts-related capital projects and the state over $2M. Seattle generates the bulk of such funding requests throughout our region. The $150K the Mayor proposes for 2013 is not enough.
Washington Hall, 1914
In response to requests from Velocity Dance Center, Taproot Theatre, Coyote Central, Casa Latina Latino Community Arts Center, the Neptune Theatre, and Washington Hall, I added $300K to the arts office budget for capital funding in 2011 and another $150K in 2012 – a downward trend I am determined to reverse by increasing the Mayor’s proposed $150K to $250K for next year.
For those who might consider $250K too much, keep in mind that in 2010, Seattle’s non-profit arts and culture industry generated $447M in spending and $38M in local and state government revenues (Arts & Economic Prosperity IV 2012 report, Americans for the Arts, Washington DC).
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