BUDGET OVERSIGHT HEARING
PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2004
THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2003

D.C. COMMISSION ON THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES
ANTHONY GITTENS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
STATEMENT

Good afternoon, Councilmember Brazil and members of the Committee on economic development. My name is Anthony Gittens, and I am the executive director of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of mayor's Anthony A. Williams' proposed FY 2004 budget for the D.C. Commission on the arts and humanities. We thank you and the committee for your continued support of the D.C. Arts commission.

Please direct your attention to pages (d-55) through (d-61) of the FY 2004 budget book. It outlines a total proposed operating budget for the D.C. Arts commission of $ 2,133,283.00 with, nine full-time employees, which represents a reduction of 196,075.00 from the approved FY 2003 appropriation.

We are pleased to support the mayor's to invest in opportunities for all, education, economic development, quality of life, and community revitalization. At our performance hearing last month, we were happy to report that we had exceeded our performance measurements for FY 2002 and that we were well on our way to exceeding our FY 2003 goals. These key performance measurements include the number of grants awarded, the percentage of D.C. Public and charter school students served, the number of showcases, presentations and workshop opportunities, and most importantly, the number of new partnerships formed in the arts.

In FY 2004, the D.C. Arts commission will continue to reach the broader community and improve the quality of life for all of our residents through services such as our D.C. Creates public arts, arts learning and outreach, and arts building communities activities. We will continue our presentations of the Larry Neal writers' awards program, Washington international film festival, and programs, which maximize the cultural resources of the city. We will continue to work to offer programs which address Mayor Williams' ongoing priorities of opportunities for all, education, and public safety. As always, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the arts community, some of which testified today, in helping to provide quality arts programs and activities that are an integral part of Washington, D.C.'s vitality.

We thank you and the committee for your ongoing assistance. We urge your support of Mayor Williams' FY 2004 operating budget for the D.C. Commission on the arts and humanities. Thank you and we will be happy to answer any questions.