Arts council needs support

To the editor:

The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri has organized and staged creative activities for young and old for 45 years. This year the Missouri Arts Council awarded $11,716 to the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, a third of the amount requested and falling far short of our needs.

Missouri ranks 49th in spending on the arts with just 8 cents spent per person. When the territories are included, Missouri ranks 54th. Guam spends more per capita on the arts than Missouri.

Annually, about 40,000 people attend 42 distinct programs, family events and community activities the arts council develops, creating a forum for hundreds of artists and crafts persons. That provides an undeniable economic benefit to our area, which through the years has accumulated into millions of dollars for area businesses. To continue to develop and present new programs, the support of civic-minded citizens and area businesses proud of this legacy is necessary.

Look to our Web site (www.capearts.org) for upcoming events like the 36th annual Christmas Arts & Crafts Extravaganza and for art show applications, and be sure to check out the photo galleries. You will see it is everybody's arts council where the creative come to play.

You can help advance the mission of this not-for-profit organization with your tax-deductible donation. Become a member or volunteer for firsthand fun and inspiration and see how art changes lives. Help nurture and grow the arts with the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri. Call (573) 334-9233 for more information.

DELILAH TAYLOE, Executive Director, Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, Cape Girardeau