Press conference: arts funding in Montgomery County

While I can't say that I would necessarily recommend a system for funding arts and cultural resources along these lines (independent organizations can be subject to extraordinary suasion also), there's something to be said for a real system, one based on setting priorities. (DC lacks such an open, transparent, and prioritized system for the funding of cultural and arts resources.)

From a press advisory:

IMPORTANT PRESS CONFERENCE TOMORROW
Come Join County Councilmembers to show your support for the Arts and Humanities

Wednesday 11:30am
American Dance Institute, 1570 East Jefferson Street in Rockville, Maryland

ROCKVILLE, Md., March 20, 2007—Montgomery County Councilmembers Roger Berliner and George Leventhal will be among those appearing at a news conference at the American Dance Institute in Rockville at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 21, to show support for a proposal that will signal a major change in the way the County appropriates funds for the many programs that make Montgomery a leader in the arts and humanities in the Washington area.

Among those at the event will be Theresa Cameron, CEO of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC), and representatives and performers from arts organizations that support the new approach in funding the arts and humanities.

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, in his proposed Fiscal Year 2008 budget released on March 13, supported a plan that would have appropriated arts and humanities funds be distributed by AHCMC. The Silver Spring-based organization would then evaluate requests for funds and determine how the annual funding would best be distributed

The effect of this new approach to funding the arts and humanities will have great impact on all of the arts and humanities programs in Montgomery County,” said Berliner, lead member for libraries and cultural affairs of the County Council’s Health and Human Services Committee. “Placing these decisions with knowledgeable people, like those on the Arts and Humanities Council, will be a major step in ensuring these funds are distributed equitably.”