From the lens of an arts writer, it has been a not-so-beautiful couple of weeks.
On July 3, the U.S. House passed what has been vigorously branded as the Big Beautiful Bill. As an arts columnist, this bill is far from aesthetically pleasing.
Sweeping cuts in this bill and via previous administrative mandates span the education and arts sectors, two lanes that have long merged to cultivate a thriving and livable democracy. Generations of Americans rallied around a beautiful notion that an enlightened and free exchange of ideas and voices uplifts society.
These days, beauty, as the old adage goes, is in the eye of the beholder. With the passing of this bill, federal defunding is decidedly a bad look for both sectors.
Cuts to Medicaid — the fourth-largest source of federal funding for schools — add to the U.S. Department of Education’s recent clawback of curriculum it deems DEI.
Add to that a seismic subtraction of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, and National Public Radio.
There are some enhancements. Included in the bill is $40 million for an intended National Garden of American Heroes, dreamed up by the president as a hit-parade of statues, among them one in the likeness of former Jeopardy host Alex Trebek, an immigrant. Funds are also allocated to the 2026 America 250 commemoration and the Kennedy Center.
The cost of the cuts
Historically, beauty in the Charleston arts scene has been from skin deep and instead is directly connected to economic vitality. In the Charleston Renaissance of 1915-40, artists flocked to town, sketch pads in hand, and often created alluring tableaux for postcards, bolstering tourism in a post-Civil War, down-on-its-heels city.
The perception of a practical application of the arts endures. Recent research from the advocacy group Americans for the Arts, via its public opinion study Americans Speak Out About the Arts found that 79% believe arts and culture are important to their community’s businesses, economy and local jobs.
That bears out beautifully in this state and in this city. A 2023 study from the S.C. Arts Commission found the creative sector provided 123,550 jobs, or $5.7 billion in salaries and made a $14.1 billion total economic impact in the state.
In Charleston, based on numbers tabulated pre-COVID, the nonprofit arts and culture industry generates over $186.5 million of annual economic activity — supporting some 6,750 full-time equivalent jobs and generating $19 million in local and state government revenues (Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 national economic impact study).
The state’s General Assembly sees the beauty, recently ratifying a bill for approval by Gov. Henry McMaster including $1.5 million in new funding for the S.C. Arts Commission to support community grant programs, including $500,000 in recurring funding and $1 million in nonrecurring (one-time) funding. It also raised the minimum starting teacher salary to $48,500.
A village voice
But about that bill. Chucking my rose-colored glasses, I see only the harsh glare of its certain impact, now and for years to come.
Still, it is worth noting that in the Charleston area, local measures are in place that can offer a roadmap for the bumpy times to come. Some cultural institutions have in recent years have worked tirelessly on education/community outreach programs that can serve as a resource — and as a model for stopgap, immediate measures so that no developing minds is left behind.
At Charleston Gaillard Center, an expansive Education and Community Program offers state curriculum-compliant programs and workshops at no charge, including bussing students from schools throughout the tri-county area for live performances.
At the Gibbes Museum of Art through Oct. 5, the exhibition Picturing Freedom: Harriet Tubman and the Combahee River Raid is a fascinating, rigorously researched look at a groundbreaking South Carolina historic event, one that ensures this significant narrative is told.
And this might be music to your ears. Charleston Symphony has long championed the Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestras, two orchestras that offer young musicians an extensive experience beyond the classroom.
Charleston Jazz offers donor-funded scholarships for classes and camps, as well as opportunities to see select Charleston Jazz concerts at no cost. Its annual Jazz Day for Kids event accommodates 1,200 K–12 students.
Aiming to step up what others have stepped on? All of the above — and so many others in the area — would certainly benefit from the support of this community. Know of any others? Send information my way. Now more than ever, cultural vitality takes a village.
To right this shortsighted, butt-ugly budgetary wrong, now is the time to tap into your own creativity and innovation. Through advocacy, philanthropy, resource sharing and determination, you’ll help to make a resounding case for the irrefutable societal benefit of arts and education.
And that, my fellow culture lovers and critical thinkers, would be a truly beautiful thing.
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