When it opens in the fall of 2016, Sacramento’s new downtown arena Golden Center 1 will be home to five public art installations worth $9.3 million. While Sacramento City Council initially received praise for integrating public art in the new arena, they received much backlash in March 2015 when they first selected New York City artist Jeff Koons’s Coloring Book sculpture—with a price tag of $8 million. Local artists condemned the City Council’s lack of support of the city’s own talent pool.

Illinois is entering its second month without a passed budget after Governor Rauner vetoed the Legislature’s proposed Fiscal Year 2016 budget—the Legislature did not support the governor’s reforms and surpassed state revenues by $3 billion. To cut down on government expenses due to the budget stalemate, Gov. Rauner ordered the closure of state facilities which include five state museums.

On Friday, July 31, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced that the city will further develop its three designated arts and entertainment districts—Station North, Highlandtown, and Bromo Seltzer Tower. The city’s plans for supporting the arts areas was outlined in a 37-page report; it stated that the arts areas will “be improved through collaborative marketing and programming, more flexible code and zoning variances for artist workspaces, and other initiatives.”

A coalition of construction company firms in Oakland, Ca. is suing the city over its public art ordinance, which requires construction firms to spend between 0.5% and 1% of any construction project’s budget on public art. Called the Building Industry Association of the Bay Area (BIA), the coalition represents about 300 builders, contractors, suppliers, and others within the Bay Area housing sector.

After the Massachusetts State Legislature approved an increase of $2,374,800—or 18%— to the Massachusetts Cultural Council on July 8, Governor Charlie Baker shocked the arts community by vetoing the funds on July 17.

On July 27, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper announced the launch of the Space to Create Colorado program. Inspired by Artspace’s recent construction of 30 affordable live and work units for artists and their families in Loveland, Co., Gov. Hickenlooper has decided to replicate the Loveland facility in eight mountain and rural regions throughout Colorado.

A Portland city audit—released July 28—reported that nearly 200,000 city residents have not paid or filed tax exemption paperwork for Portland’s $35 arts tax. Approved by voters in 2012, the income tax is required of all Portland residents, 18 years or older, with an income over $1,000. 

National newspaper Politico featured Salt Lake County’s Zoo, Arts, and Parks Program—more commonly known as ZAP—which is a county-wide sales tax that benefits recreational and cultural organizations.

This month, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad signed SF 510, which directs the Iowa Department of Education to fund at least a 0.5 Fine Arts consultant position. Cut to 0.23 a year ago, the position is restored to its original status. It also means that Iowa Code now mandates this position, and the law directs that the position be funded on an annual basis.

After convening a conference meeting to reconcile the Senate’s and House’s proposed budgets, on July 8, the Massachusetts’ Legislature passed the FY2016 state budget. It includes funding the Massachusetts Cultural Council at $14.16 million.

Today, Americans for the Arts and the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) presented South Dakota Lt. Governor Matt Michels with the Public Leadership in the Arts Award for State Arts Leadership, which honors a public official who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advancement of the arts at the state level. Michels received his award at the NLGA’s Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The DC Council approved its 2016 budget on Tuesday, June 30; in the budget, the Council included $200,000 in dedicated funding to research and draft a unified cultural plan for the District of Columbia.

In 2014, a coalition of arts professionals formed Arts Action DC and worked with council member David Grosso to sponsor legislation for the cultural plan initiative. The research will assess “how to stimulate a creative economy, increase cultural participation, and identify needs neighborhood by neighborhood.”

On Monday, July 6, the Oregon Legislature approved House Bill 2171, which extends the sunset date of that state’s film tax credit program. Currently, the film tax credit program offers up to $10 million in total tax credits to film and television productions that film in Oregon. HB 2171 would extend the program by another eight years. 

South Carolina arts advocates were shocked on June 30 when Governor Nikki Haley announced that she would veto 87 budget items—among the vetoes was #21 which would eliminate $1 million in new, recurring funds for grantmaking in arts education from the South Carolina Arts Commission’s budget.

Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, and the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) will present South Dakota Lt. Governor Matt Michels with the Public Leadership in the Arts Award for State Arts Leadership, which honors a public official who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advancement of the arts at the state level. Michels will receive his award today at the NLGA’s Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Texas's biennial budget session ended on June 20 with Governor Greg Abbott approving base funding for the Texas Commission for the Arts (TCA) at $6,669,614 for 2016 and 2017.

Ohio’s two-year state budget was signed by Gov. John Kasich on June 30 and includes an historic increase in state funding for the Ohio Arts Council (OAC).

Nominate yourself or a colleague for one of six 2015 Annual Leadership Awards presented annually by Americans for the Arts in conjunction with Annual Convention! These awards recognize the achievements of individuals, organizations, or programs committed to enriching their communities through the arts.

The Houston Symphony Orchestra has hired 4 new string players, but the musicians’ roles will mainly be outside of the concert hall. The four, bilingual string musicians will provide community engagement programs and music education in local schools, community centers, and health-care facilities. In addition, they will perform about 25 concerts a year with the full symphony.

Americans for the Arts has announced the recipients of the 2015 Americans for the Arts Annual Leadership Awards. Presented each year, these awards recognize the achievements of individuals and organizations committed to enriching community through the arts. 

On June 1, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced his “Shared Prosperity for the Arts Package,” which will provide $7 million to city arts programs over the next two years. 

Several bills are making headway in the Louisiana House and Senate to reform the state’s film tax credit program. The current film tax credit program covers 30 to 35 percent of filmmakers’ costs when they choose to film in Louisiana. Last year, the program cost the state $226 million with independent analysts reporting that the state only made 20 cents in tax revenue for every dollar invested in tax credits.

The Georgia Department of Education announced on June 1 that it created a new fine arts specialist position. The fine arts specialist will focus on the disciplines of music, dance, theatre and visual arts and will provide assistance for fine arts staff throughout Georgia’s school districts.

This year, Americans for the Arts is honoring Ann Marie Miller with the Alene Valkanas State Arts Advocacy Award. Since 2007, the Alene Valkanas State Arts Advocacy Award has honored an individual whose arts advocacy efforts have dramatically affected the political landscape at the state level.

The New York City Council has passed a bill which will give the public more say in the city’s Percent for Art program. Since 1982, the Percent for Art program has allocated one percent of the budget for all city-funded construction projects for public art.

The Massachusetts Senate has approved a $38 billion budget for FY 2016, which includes $14 million for the Massachusetts Cultural Council, as well as $6 million for regional tourist councils. This proposed 16% increase is especially significant since the Senate Ways and Means Committee initially recommended the arts council to be funded at $12 million, which was the same funding level as FY 2015.

In a surprising turn of events, both the Oklahoma Senate and House of Representatives have now approved SB 839, which appropriates funds to help build a state popular culture museum, OKPOP. On May 21, the House initially rejected the bill on a vote of 44-49 and then reversed its ruling on May 22 with a vote of 51-40.