To Secretary of Commerce Pat George,
I write this out of
frustration and concern. Artists, arts advocates, and legislators fought
a difficult battle to have public funding for the arts reinstated this
past term, and now it appears that the Department of Commerce cannot or
will not account for how those funds have been or will be used.
As
an artist, teacher, and taxpayer, I demand that the Department of
Commerce account for the $700,000 appropriated for the Kansas Creative
Industries Commission. Allowing that a small portion may be used for
administration, the majority of these funds must be distributed to non-profit arts agencies across the state. Funding Kansas cultural and creative endeavors is the purpose of these funds, and it is needed desperately.
Art,
in all its forms, contains, and is the catalyst for, the stories of our
heritage and dreams for a better tomorrow. Stifling the Arts means
stifling the song, the poem, and the dance of Kansas. We are better than
that. We have $700,000 in the bank to help encourage, inspire and
support our creative spirit. Please, make those funds available to
non-profit arts agencies now.
Sincerely,
Dave Loewenstein, Lawrence
