THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 28, 1995 TAG: 9501270032
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 33 lines
In light of the governor's recommendation to cut funding for museums, I wonder if it is apparent to our citizens that the Peninsula Fine Arts Center, along with its many fellow museums and cultural organizations in the greater Hampton Roads area, is a part of a viable local industry that adds to the economic stability of the region.
The Cultural Alliance of Greater Hampton Roads, working with Old Dominion University, recently published the Economic Impact of the Arts Survey, showing that the arts not only nourish the spirit but also nourish the economy. The culture industry is indeed important to our citizens providing 6,000 jobs in the region; paying more than $100 million in salaries, making the culture industry comparable locally to printing and publishing, heavy construction, and home furnishings; paying more than $6.5 million in state and local taxes; spending $13 million on local goods and services; and impacting the local economy by $274 million each year.
It is essential that everyone understand the important economic benefits that our cultural institutions provide to the region and how our community would be negatively affected by the loss of funding to these institutions.
C. FREDERICK WESTPHAL JR.
Hampton, Jan. 10, 1995 by CNB