To the editor:

Your recent editorial on the governor’s severely reduced art funding in Kansas hit the mark. For over 25 years, I have been one of the Kansas directors of Mid-America Arts Alliance. Since 1972, M-AAA has successfully provided “More Art for More People” in its six member states of Kansas, Arkansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. It is the oldest regional arts organization in the nation and effectively demonstrates that more good can be done by member states working together than any one state could accomplish alone.

I am saddened over the Brownback administration’s failure to provide appropriate support for the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission. The attitude that arts are a “frill” and that donors should provide the funding, ignores facts and studies showing the economic impact legislative appropriations for the arts have provided in Kansas over the years.

The significant financial return for the state’s investment in the arts is undeniable. Yet the governor’s spokesperson last week wanted to blame Mid-America Arts Alliance for dropping Kansas. The governor and the Legislature should know that M-AAA, like other such alliances around the nation, needs pledged support from each member state in order to function effectively. The well-understood consequence is a loss of membership in M-AAA, as well as failure to qualify for federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Hopefully, the new Legislature and revised thinking by the administration returns Kansas as a proud member of Mid-America Arts Alliance to ensure a better quality of life for all Kansans.