Regime change for the arts
The arts enrich our lives, improve our quality of life and make our economy strong. I was appointed Chair of the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts (NHSCA) by four Governors: two Republican and two Democrats. By 2024, when I stepped down as Chair, the NH Legislature supported funding by nearly a dollar per citizen. The State Government recognized that the creative economy was the largest contributor to the New Hampshire State’s economy by over $2 billion annually.
Then came the Ayotte budget which slashed the State Arts Council’s budget by over 80%, the largest cut in the state’s history. This drastic and senseless action, reduced the agency to a staff of one with a budget of a mere $150,000. Support for the valuable and profitable creative economy was gone.
The Ayotte regime is out of touch with what makes our state livable and prosperous.
It is time for a new governor who understands and supports what makes our creative state arts exceptional.