The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more, of which there are over 1,400 such cities in the country today, adopted a resolution urging Congress to provide long-term arts and culture relief funding in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayors from cities across the nation, in collaboration with the San Francisco Arts Alliance reinforcing federal policy recommendations advanced by more than 60 national arts organizations, called on Congress to address the urgent needs of the nation's arts and culture sector and to take prompt and coordinated action to ensure the recovery and survival of essential arts and culture organizational partners.
Spearheaded by San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and 24 mayors from cities across the nation, the resolution calls on Congress to take prompt and coordinated action to ensure the recovery and survival of the nation's arts and culture sector.
"As the former Executive Director of the San Francisco African American Art & Culture Complex, I saw first?hand the impact that art and culture has on communities," said San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed.
"Without significant support, communities throughout the country are at risk of losing not only the arts and culture that helps shape who we are as a people, but also the important role that it plays inspiring creativity, enriching lives, and providing jobs."
"The arts, music, and cultural sectors speak to more than our yearning for entertainment—they teach us about our history and ourselves, strengthen our vast creative workforce, and embody the cherished American ideal of freedom of expression," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. "With Mayor Breed leading the charge, we will push Congress to deliver critical funding to keep our iconic arts sector alive through the COVID-19 pandemic and help it thrive when this crisis ends."
A follow-up to the mayoral letter that was signed by 23 mayors from cities across the nation and sent to Congress in May 2020, the resolution lays out specific long-term relief efforts.
Contributing more than $877.8 billion to the nation's economy in 2017, the arts and culture sector is an economic engine that directly employs more than 5 million workers nationwide. As of June 15, 2020, the current losses sustained by the arts and cultural sector throughout the nation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have reached a staggering $6.7 billion.
Read the full resolution HERE.
Read the Arts Sector COVID Relief plan HERE.
Editor's note: If you liked this article, help out our freelancers and staff, and keep the B.A.R. going in these tough times. For info, visit our Indiegogo campaign. To donate, simply claim a perk!