Georgia Arts Day: Where puppetry, policy, and passion collided!

By Charles Phaneuf, vice president Strategy, South Arts

Earlier this month, my colleagues and I were thrilled to attend the first in-person Georgia Arts Day since 2019! The two-day event was hosted by Georgians for the Arts, with the first day focused on peer-to-peer networking and learning at the Center for Puppetry Arts while the second day was focused directly on advocacy at the Georgia Capitol. Congrats to Georgians for the Arts on a sold-out event and an inspiring two days! South Arts, like our friends at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, chose to sponsor, participate in and promote the event because we think this is an important time for sector advocacy.

Why, you might be asking yourself, are we all so excited about Georgia Arts Day?  

Our mission at South Arts is to advance Southern vitality through the arts. To that end, we fund, build and amplify the sector through a wide portfolio of grants and public programs that serve artists, arts and culture organizations, and communities. Over the years, we have come to realize that this mission can only be accomplished with policies that enable the creative sector to do its best work. 

South Arts is based in Atlanta, and we serve a nine-state region in the southeast. Despite the integral role of arts and culture in our communities, nationally and internationally, the arts in the South have traditionally been underfunded. We know this from looking at data from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and studies such as “Freedom Maps” by Maria Cherry Rangel and Ron Ragin. We have much work to do to reach a point where our sector is sustainable and serving our diverse and growing region. 

Looking across the country and the region, we’ve seen great policy wins over the last few years, including a major infusion of funding to the sector through pandemic relief programs such as the CARES Act, the American Rescue Plan, and Shuttered Venue Operator Grants. We also have seen innovative programs and forward-looking investments in arts education such as artlook Alabama, Arts Grow SC, and an arts graduation requirement in North Carolina.  

Here in Georgia, there is a lot of work to do. According to the Americans for the Arts recent study Arts and Economic Prosperity 6, the total impact of nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences in Georgia was over $1.2 billion in FY 2022, supporting 19,734 full-time jobs. Yet, the state is 50^th in legislative appropriations for the arts at $0.14 per capita.  

There are so many amazing people and organizations working in the community here in metro Atlanta. There’s not space here to talk about everyone we work with, but a few examples of locals we have found to be especially inspiring include visual artist Victoria Dugger, filmmaker Daresha Kyi, Ballethnic Dance Company, and True Colors Theatre Company. You can read more about them and others on our website. 

Yet, despite both the economic impact and the high quality, relevant work that happens here, funding is hard to come by, and this especially affects individual artists, small- to mid-sized arts and culture organizations and communities of color. During this crucial time, we encourage you to get involved with Georgians for the Arts, as well as local advocacy efforts such as Art Matters and the Atlanta Arts Alliance, and national advocacy through Americans for the Arts and Be An Arts Hero.  

And, most importantly, don’t forget to visit your local theater, performing arts center, museum, cultural festival, or community arts center! You’ll be glad you did!  

Note: This piece was originally published in The Saporta Report.