‘Occupy the Arts’ South Carolina Activists Protest Governor Haley’s Cuts:
“SOUTH CAROLINA—Governor Nikki Haley recently announced additional austerity measures for her state, including cutting $1.9 million in funding for the South Carolina Arts Commission and $500,000 in funding earmarked for grants. Haley called the agency redundant, and said it can receive private funds and apply for funding through grants.
Several lawmakers have vowed to override Haley’s budget vetoes next week. Senator Joel Lourie, D-Richland County said he thinks the legislature will likely see ‘strong override votes that way surpass’ the necessary two-thirds approval.
In response to the proposed cuts, South Carolina art groups plan to hold an ‘Occupy the Arts’ protest next week at the Statehouse, and a Twitter hashtag (#SaveSCArts) is accompanying tweets in support of arts funding. A core disagreement between the governor and activists is the role of art in society. Haley spokesman Rob Godfrey defended the cuts, saying the Arts Commission was not a core function of the government.
In addition to eliminating funding for the arts commission, Haley axed the Sea Grant Consortium, which helps the state’s research universities pursue federal funding to research issues relating to the South Carolina coastline, a particularly essential function given lawmakers like Lindsey Graham have been pushing the state to open its waters to offshore drilling.”
(Via Art & Education » News.)