Phoenix Art Museum’s Annual Women Powered Conference, April 2024
By Jordan Gerard | AZ Capitol Times
Key Points:
- State appropriations to its art commission fuel $15.8 billion in economic value
- The Arizona Commission on the Arts relies on one-time legislative appropriations, leaving the level of funding uncertain year to year
- $2 million state appropriation accounts for about 44% of the commission’s budget
In the grand illustration of Arizona’s budget, $2 million seems like a small detail. Except when the return on investment comes back as $15.8 billion in value to the economy.
Before Republicans’ latest budget proposal met Gov. Katie Hobbs’ veto pen, senators discussed its pros and cons in a Senate floor session on May 4. During that session, Sen. Kiana Sears, D-Mesa, brought up the importance of supporting the arts and the pending appropriation to the Arizona Commission on the Arts.
“It’s essential to a culture,” she told the Arizona Capitol Times. “The support and the return on investment is incredible because it’s weaving into the fibers of every city, every town.”
If the state chooses not to fund the arts, it hurts the economy, Sears said. Programs in her district, like the Mesa Arts Center and many others, bring art shows, live music, theatre and classes to community members.
