Twenty years ago, Wisconsin was typical among the 50 states, investing a healthy amount of money towards arts funding. Then in 2011, the Wisconsin Arts Board's budget was cut by 67 percent, placing Wisconsin 48th in state support for the arts.
Fortunately, city and county leaders stepped forward.
The Milwaukee Arts Board (MAB) was created to develop and enhance cultural diversity, accessibility, and enjoyment of the arts for Milwaukee's citizens.
The forerunner of MAB was the Milwaukee Art Commission, created in 1911. This organization continued until 1990, when then-Mayor John Norquist changed the name to the Milwaukee Arts Board. MAB provides a range of support to arts and community organizations that produce innovative projects or programs, and it is committed to supporting public arts projects that provide a sense of place, celebrate our community neighborhoods, parks and public spaces.
This year, MAB will award over $270,000 to over 30 non-profit arts organizations, which reflects an additional raise of $50,000 from last year. Alderman Nik Kovac and MAB Board Chair Michael Murphy sponsored the increase measure because, as Murphy noted, “The Milwaukee arts community continues to reach into more neighborhoods throughout the city.”
It is important for large urban centers to have a healthy arts scene. Benefits include a quality of life for the residents, the ability to attract and retain top corporate talent to the area, and to support economic and community investment.
To date, the Milwaukee Arts Board has awarded more than $5.2 million to 130 different organizations.
All regular meetings of the Milwaukee Arts Board are scheduled for the second Tuesday of the month at 4:00 p.m. and are held in the Milwaukee City Hall.
The County’s Advisory Council
To assist arts organizations, the Milwaukee County Board established the Milwaukee County Cultural, Artistic and Musical Programming Advisory Council (CAMPAC).
The budgets of combined County-funded arts organizations exceed $46.5 million a year, with more than a million people attending performances annually. The economic impact of area arts organizations is more than $122 million. Unlike other industries, the arts stimulate the economy through their own ticket income as well as audience patronization of shops, restaurants, hotels, parking and other amenities.
CAMPAC receives support from the Wisconsin Arts Board and the National Endowment for the Arts.
This year, CAMPAC will distribute $385,000 to 37 organizations. Richard Clark, CAMPAC’s administrator, said, “The tax revenue that we collect from area arts organizations far exceeds the amount of money that we grant back.” Milwaukee County also funds such attractions as the Milwaukee Public Museum, the War Memorial Center and the County Zoo.
CAMPACS’s longstanding financial commitment to the arts is based on the belief that the arts have an important impact in the community. CAMPAC funds arts organizations in order to improve their financial stability, encourage their development and achieve growth in the artistic quality of their programming.
There will be a meeting of the CAMPAC advisory council on Tuesday, Aug. 6, at 3 p.m. to discuss, among other topics, 2019 funding and the introduction of council member candidates. The meeting will be in room 201B and is open to the public.
