Groups track arts funding debate

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Ohio arts groups are carefully watching the debate over federal funding for the arts and waiting to see what President Barack Obama will propose in his budget.

Some Republicans want the government to trim the estimated federal budget deficit of $1.5 trillion by cutting discretionary spending for such groups as the National Endowment for the Arts, which has a budget of more than $167 million, The Plain Dealer of Cleveland reported Saturday. One group of lawmakers, the Republican Study Committee led by Rep. Jim Jordan of Urbana, wants to eliminate the NEA budget altogether.

Arts groups say they expect the Democratic president’s budget to trim NEA funding but not seek major cuts.

“I think everyone is just kind of holding their breath and waiting to see how it all shakes out,” said Aimee Wade, director of institutional advancement at Cleveland’s Karamu House theater.

Ohio organizations have a significant interest in the discussion, considering the NEA has given more than $8.8 million to Ohio arts groups since 2007. About half of that went to the statewide Ohio Arts Council, which issues its own grants to smaller groups using mostly state-appropriated money. The Ohio Arts Council trailed only California among statewide agencies that got NEA grants for the current program year, according to the newspaper.

Other recipients of NEA funding since 2007 include the Cleveland Orchestra with $213,000 and the Cleveland Museum of Art with $170,000.

The ability to get that competitive funding is a sign of Ohio’s commitment to arts education and outreach to small communities, the arts council and the NEA said.