The Kentucky Arts Council survived Governor Matt Bevin’s first budget address.
Rumors about the Council’s future have been spreading online in the days leading up to the Governor’s speech.
While it wasn’t eliminated, the Arts Council will face a nine percent funding cut over the next two years like other non-essential services.
Democratic State Representative Jody Richards of Bowling Green expressed relief that the arts council was spared.
“The arts council makes contributions to groups like SKyPAC (Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center) and our orchestra and that’s very important to the life of a community.”
Members of the arts community feared Kentucky would no longer receive federal arts funding if the state Arts Council was eliminated.
The National Endowment for the Arts has provided almost $730,000 in federal funding so far in the current fiscal year.
