A new article in the Memphis Business Journal focuses on the potential local affects of cutting the National Endowment for the Arts. The article, by Mary Cashiola, points out the extraordinary cost-benefit calculus behind federal investments in the arts:
For every dollar that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) spends in local communities, another $9 in additional public or private funding follows. ... In Tennessee alone, there are more than 48,000 arts-related jobs, according to a 2015 Americans For the Arts report.
Cashiola notes that ArtsMemphis is leading some of the arts advocacy efforts here in Shelby County. For example, we're hosting a mixer at the end of this month where we will write postcards and share information around the theme #ArtsMatter. That event will take place Monday, Feb. 20, from 4-6 p.m. at Memphis Made Brewing Company, 768 S. Cooper St.