Collins cuts most cultural entities from budget
In his budget for next year, Chris Collins intends to halt the flow of Erie County tax dollars to dozens of cultural agencies that annually line up for support.
The county executive will continue giving money to the 10 attractions he deems regionally significant, including the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Buffalo Zoo and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.
10 cultural institutions in line for aid:
Attraction | Grant |
Zoological Society of Buffalo | $1,465,000 |
Buffalo Museum of Science | $905,000 |
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra | $825,000 |
Albright-Knox Art Gallery | $535,000 |
Historical Society | $385,000 |
Darwin Martin House | $140,000 |
Burchfield Penney Art Center | $92,000 |
Hamburg Natural History Museum | $41,000 |
Graycliff | $32,000 |
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site | $21,000 |
Total | $4,441,000 |
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The Collins team does not expect to reconsider its decision and might disband the Cultural Resources Advisory Board after assessing its need.
The board's volunteers examine museums, theaters, dance troupes and studios, then recommend grants. The system was set up years ago to take politics out of the process.
But his budget would end county dollars for, among others, the Alleyway Theater, the Irish Classical Theatre Company and Shakespeare in Delaware Park, one of the nation's largest free outdoor Shakespeare festivals. In fact, no theater companies are among Collins' 10 recipients.
The $81,000 that Shakespeare in Delaware Park received from the county this year accounts for one-quarter of its budget, said Saul Elkin, founder and artistic director. Those dollars, he said, have helped keep the performances free -- and able to draw 1.75 million people over 35 years.
"The loss of county funding would be absolutely devastating to the existence of Shakespeare in Delaware Park," Elkin said, adding, "For many, this is the only affordable cultural event they can attend."
The Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance promotes arts and cultural organizations as critical assets worthy of investment.
"If these reported budget cuts are indeed true, it is a shocking and crippling action," the alliance said in a statement Tuesday. "Why gut one of the most productive and viable sectors in our area's economy?
"There were more than 2.5 million attendees at the alliance organizations last year. Nearly half of them attended small and mid-sized organizations' events. Our county executive is potentially disenfranchising 1 million local arts and culture attendees."
mspina@buffnews.com
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