If the best art comes from adversity, Texas is poised for a cultural boom.In a rare move, the Texas Commission on the Arts held a board meeting in San Antonio, this week, where it was laid out how a 28-percent slash in funding from the state legislature would affect projects.
Much of the cuts came from the Cultural Arts Districts fund, which supports projects likes the ones underway in the King William district.
"This was a grant opportunity for those originations to do some major work, and unfortunately it was not funded this session," executive director Gary Gibbs tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI.
Arts groups across the state condemned the budget, saying it hurts the Texas economy. A statement from the Texas Cultural Trust, called it "shortsighted."
“The arts contribute $5.5 billion annually to the Texas economy, employ one in 15 Texans and contribute $343.7 million in state sales tax revenue annually. The arts help prepare a well-educated workforce for our 21st Century economy," the statement reads.
Gibbs says that message was seemingly lost on state lawmakers."Research show that students who participate in the arts score better on tests, they're more successful academically and they're more likely to go on to higher education."