Giving Compass' Take:
- Susie Surkamer and Joy Young write about how art and culture in the American South is underfunded, resulting in the need for new, systemic reforms to the nature of philanthropy and the relationship these communities have to it.
- How can you support the arts in the South?
- Learn more about arts and culture.
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According to the latest United States Census, the South is home to nearly 40 percent of all Americans, making it the most populous region in the country. It is also the least supported by arts funding.
A recent study found that a person living in the South received only $4.21 in arts and culture funding from philanthropy, compared to the national average of $8.60 per person. If you’re reading this in New York or Boston, know that Northeasterners receive about $16.
Each region of the country boasts a cultural tradition that cannot be replicated elsewhere, and thus must be supported at home. For the South, this encompasses everything from Atlanta’s historic museums, to Miami’s art fairs, to the work of Gee’s Bend quilters in Alabama. And that’s just the visual arts.
The South’s cultural traditions—jazz and blues, literature and storytelling, Cajun cooking—are the bedrock of American life. And almost all of it can be traced back to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities. Yet the art of the South receives half of the investment made in other parts of the country.
Read the full article about arts funding by Susie Surkamer at Artnet News.