08/14/2020
BE AN ARTS HERO!
Here in South Carolina, Arts & Culture institutions employ 53,627 people and are responsible for $5,835,300,104 in value added to the economy. Nationally, the Arts & Culture sector makes up 4.5% of GDP, is responsible for up to $877 billion in value added to the U.S. economy, and provides 5.1 million American jobs. It adds more to GDP than Agriculture, Transportation, Construction, and Tourism and has a growth rate of almost double the rest of the economy. Studies show that for every $1 of National Endowment for the Arts funding, it leverages $9 in private and public dollars that fuel a dynamic cultural economy and generates millions of American jobs. Given that rate of return on investment, relief for the Arts & Culture sector may be the best bet to get America’s economy back up and running again.
As you know, the Arts & Culture sector is in crisis due to the disastrous effects of COVID-19. Our institutions are shuttered and financially struggling, with no concrete idea when it will be safe for them to come back to work. According to Actors’ Equity, nearly 100% of our workforce is currently unemployed.
We’re asking you to contact Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott and ask them to commit to being an by passing relief legislation for the Arts and Culture sector. This means supporting federal legislation that:
Extends the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program until it’s safe to return to work;
Fully subsidizes COBRA so that unemployed Arts & Culture workers can stay healthy during this deadly pandemic;
Commits direct relief funds to artists and Arts & Culture institutions so that this cornerstone of the American economy can survive.
You can click their names to write to your senators directly, or call their offices:
Lindsey Graham, (202) 224-5972,
Tim Scott, (202) 224-6121.