Good afternoon, Council Members.  My name is Jill Strachan and I am here to testify on behalf of the budget for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.  I am an arts activist and my affiliations include the Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Washington, D.C., the Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgendered (GLBT) Arts Consortium , the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses, the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, and the Songwriters’ Association of Washington.  I have also served as a grant panelist for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.  I have resided in the District of Columbia as a teenager and adult and have been a homeowner since 1985.

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is the sole local source of public funding for the arts in the District of Columbia.  The FY 2003 proposed budget request for the Commission is approximately $2.3 million with 70 percent ($1.313 million) regranted to the community.  I urge you to support the full amount of the proposed budget request.

We all benefit from more beauty and intelligence … these characteristics are part of what makes the arts so important.

At its most obvious level, the arts bring $1.4 billion annually to the District’s economy, providing jobs and generating income for the DC and Federal governments.  Arts organizations are actively participating in Mayor Williams’ efforts to bring tourists back to our city.

The impact of the arts extends far beyond any immediate economic measurement.  The arts are integral to the development of young people’s social and analytical skills.  The arts provide tools for essential human expression.  For youth, the arts are often the first place where their voices are honored and where they learn to use their talents responsibly.  The arts challenge the mind while teaching discipline.  At the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, for example, children and youth are encouraged to explore their talents and the end result is healthy self-esteem.  Self-esteem helps to change lives and creates a more just society.

In our city, the arts often serve as a bridge between communities.  In July 2000, the Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Washington, D.C. was extremely proud to represent the city’s extensive choral tradition at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities played a major role in programming the DC portion of the Festival.  It is safe to say that the Folklife Festival, grounded in a commitment to diversity, functioned as a bridge between the mainstream community and the glbt community.  At the Festival, many DC citizens, neighbors and tourists found out for the first time about the international gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered choral movement, a movement of 10,000 singers and 190 choruses which has rejuvenated choral music in the United States and beyond.  There are three glbt choruses in DC:  Bread & Roses Feminist Singers, Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, and Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Washington, D.C.

As the sole public granting agency for the arts in our city, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities has a powerful impact by providing ongoing support, particularly for smaller grass-roots organizations.  Most Commission grantees must annually raise the full amounts of their operating incomes from a complicated balance of varying revenue sources, including:  individual contributions, business support, special events, foundations, membership dues, merchandise, and tickets.  Most often, expenses continue to increase while income remains stable.  At the same time, human resources  (professional and volunteer) are tapped to the fullest extent possible and beyond.  And, I am sorry to add, most arts managers find themselves in the position of sacrificing programming needs just to keep their organizations alive.  I don’t know a single arts manager who has not experienced the hair-raising question of how to meet this month’s payroll and to pay rent.

Speaking for the Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Washington, D.C. -- which has received a half dozen grants from the Commission -- I will attest that our first Commission grant of $500 was a beginning for us to build organizational capacity.  This grant, as well as others that we have received, have helped us garner additional funding. It is an important credential to be recognized by the Commission and our city.  This small financial recognition literally helped build the Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Washington, D.C. into a successful arts organization with an annual operating budget hovering around $100,000.

I know that similar stories exist wherever the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities has been able to spread its assistance.

I believe that the Council members are interested in the continued improvement of the lives of our citizens.  A major factor in this improvement will be a city-wide recognition that the arts are integral to life itself.  I hope you will approve the proposed budget request for FY 2003 of $2.3 million for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities as part of a plan to create a healthier city where the arts can thrive and inspire.  A financially strong Commission is crucial to our city.  A financially strong Commission will continue to fuel the arts throughout our city.  Your support of a financially strong Commission will reap enduring benefits that far outweigh the costs of this support because the arts help create a more just society.

In closing, I would like to thank the staff and the Commissioners of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities for the tremendous work they do day in and day out.  And, thank you, Mr. Chairman and the Committee, for your ongoing support of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and for this opportunity to testify.