Arts Advocacy Matters!

February 12th kicked off our state Arts Advocacy Week here in South Carolina. Our state advocacy partner, the SC Arts Alliance continues to advance efforts to ensure support at all levels for the arts by providing essential Advocacy Resources, an annual Issues Brief, and Legislative Priorities. We are grateful for the bipartisan commitment of our regional and state legislators to provide support for the arts, with a commitment to enhancing youth art education, analyzing the economic development impact of the arts in our state ($14.1 Billion in SC!), and improving the quality of life for our various communities. 

The McCormick Arts Council (MACK) receives essential operational and programmatic funding in part through the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. In addition, recent project art-in-education grants were available through the South Carolina Arts Commission from a partnership with the S.C. Department of Education through the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds. We are honored and grateful to ensure the development of local arts programming to benefit McCormick. In addition, the MACK benefited directly from critical legislative support to secure $208,000 to support essential mechanical systems to ensure a safe facility. 

The growth of arts-related investments is the work of many! If you are interested in becoming an arts advocate, please join us to raise your voice for the arts. Please take a moment to thank your elected Town, County, and State representatives for their efforts to support the arts in our community!