"Cuts to arts organizations will actually harm the state's economy."
Frank Mack
Tourism and the arts took a hit in the budget adjustment agreed on by Governor Dannel Malloy and the legislature in special session earlier this week. The adjustment was needed to fill a $350 million hole in the state budget.
The biggest hit to culture and tourism was a $1 million cut to the state's "Still Revolutionary" tourism marketing campaign. That's despite strong tourism numbers this summer, showing increases in both hotel occupancy and out of state visitors. Regional tourism offices were also affected.
"It's not something I advocated for," said Malloy of the cuts in an editorial meeting with WNPR. "But in a bipartisan process, you have to make compromises. Members of the legislature are not as supportive as I am, and this is an ongoing and fairly constant battle."
Various cultural institutions in the state also took a hit.
Mystic Aquarium's budget was reduced by $20,692, the New Haven Festival of Arts and Ideas by $26,604, and the Arts Commission took a hit of $63,149.
Twenty-one other museums, music groups, theaters, and regional arts councils were also affected by the budget adjustment.
"Cuts to arts organizations will actually harm the state's economy," said Frank Mack, an associate professor of arts administration at The University of Connecticut. "If they all started to engage in less activity, fewer people go to the performances, fewer people go out to restaurants, fewer people are filling parking lots, etc. This whole cycle of economic activity is decreased."
Mack said typically these cuts disproportionately impact the state's smaller arts organizations.
"They're really going to have to scramble. They are going to have to make some sort of significant change, or find significant new money to replace that in order to sustain the level of work that hey had planned to do," Mack said.
Malloy must find an additional $93 million of savings from the budget as part of Tuesday's budget agreement, but said culture and tourism would be far down on his list of possible new cuts.
