Artists, business owners, and elected officials gathered in Concord today to protest President Donald Trump’s plan to cut federal funding for the arts.
Under the president’s proposed budget, the National Endowment for the Arts would be eliminated.
Roger Brooks chairs of the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts which receives federal funding. At a statehouse press conference he said federal funding for the arts is crucial.
“We believe that there is a great need for government funding of the arts so that not only the rich and the privileged, but everybody can receive equal access to the arts.”
According to the group Americans for the Arts, 10,000 people in New Hampshire work in arts-related jobs, and non-profit arts organizations generate more than $115 million in economic activity.