Nearly 100 community stakeholders attended public town hall at the Broward Center for Performing Arts
Funding Arts Broward (FAB), a volunteer-driven and membership-based group that has been presenting grants to arts groups serving Broward County for the past two decades, has released findings from the nonprofit’s “Enriching the Arts, Opportunities in Broward County’s Arts Community.”
Leaders from FAB and the Community Foundation of Broward, which provided a grant to support the yearlong study of the state of the arts project and publication of the findings, jointly shared the report before nearly 200 stakeholders during a public town hall in the Mary Porter Ballroom at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
“Our Enriching the Arts project is the first comprehensive study of this magnitude we’ve ever undertaken, and we are profoundly grateful for the support from the Community Foundation of Broward and everyone who contributed their unique perspectives,” said FAB President Mary Riedel. “We’re proud to share this significant report during a time when support for the arts is needed now more than ever and to offer stewardship for the arts so we can positively impact our entire community for many years to come.”
Work on the yearlong project was conducted by a 10-member task force appointed by the FAB board and led by Ed Hashek, immediate past president of FAB. The study aimed to assess the needs of arts organizations serving Broward County and gain perspective on the state of the arts in Florida and nationally.
“The report’s findings offer a comprehensive analysis of the state of the arts in Broward County along with a roadmap to follow where we can focus our grant making efforts and actionable steps we can take to address the needs of artists,” Hashek said.
Included among the key findings of the “Enriching the Arts” report were:
- Arts organizations need more flexible funding, such as unrestricted grants to help pay for operational expenses, marketing resources for audience development and affordable venue options.
- Gaps exist in K-12 arts education programs in Broward County public schools.
- More advocacy is needed for the arts collectively and to underscore how the arts contribute to economic and community development Broward County.
- Opportunities exist for more engagement and collaboration between and among arts organizations, business leaders, the public sector, cultural tourism and public art projects.
- The arts provide a pathway to enhancing education, reaching underserved communities and boosting the local economy.
“Funding and education are key to enriching the arts,” Riedel added. “We have come a long way, but there is still so much to be done. We look forward to working with our community partners to address these challenges.”