CAPE GIRARDEAU TOPS LOCAL ARTS COUNCIL FUNDING; 12TH IN STATE

The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri tops the list in community arts programs receiving money from the Missouri Arts Council, but the city ranks 12th on the list of cities when all Missouri Arts Council grants are totalled.

Cape Girardeau received $21,200 to fund the Arts Council and its programs. In all, the city got $31,300 from the Missouri Arts Council.

The Arts Council received a $5,000 grant for the Balloons and Arts Festival and $4,200 to bring touring arts programs including the Compton Heights Concert Band, River City Ramblers, Vodvill Entertainment and Tom Bonham Puppets, to the community. Southeast Missouri State University also got $900 to support the literary journal "The Cape Rock."

Beverly Strohmeyer, executive director of the local Arts Council, said that in Cape Girardeau the council leads the way for most arts activities.

"We are the only arts organization in the community," Strohmeyer said. As a result, the local council feels a responsibility to offer many different programs.

The $21,200 grant supports the Southeast Chamber Players concerts, a summer concert series, Gallery 2000 and juried art shows, children's arts and art education programs. The Arts Council also joins with organizations in town planning art-related events. For example, the council helps support the Children's and Young Adults Literacy Festival, Workshop on Wheels and the Eldercare Center's Senior Learning Center.

"We try to a lot of different things with the money we receive," Strohmeyer said.

Joan White with the Missouri Arts Council said each grant application is reviewed by a citizens panel of individuals interested in arts. These panels make recommendations to the Missouri Arts Council, which makes the final funding decisions.

White said the high level of funding for Cape Girardeau's Arts Council is due to the large number of programs the organization sponsors. She said the panel also consider community need and community support.

In addition to funding for community arts programs, the Missouri Arts Council has money available for programs in art disciplines like dance, music, theater and literature.

In other communities, individual organizations receive funding for projects in addition to money allocated for the arts council.

For example, the Springfield Area Arts Council receives $13,500, but the Springfield community receives more than $135,000 in grants, including $47,000 for the Springfield Symphony Association, $20,400 for the Springfield Little Theatre, and $15,000 for the Springfield Regional Opera.

"If the community theater group was separate from us, they could apply for grant money," Strohmeyer said. But in Cape Girardeau the community theater group is under the Arts Council umbrella.

The Missouri Arts Council allocated a total of $4 million to more than 300 Missouri arts organizations for the fiscal year July 1 1996 to June 30, 1997.

St. Louis was the top recipient of Missouri Arts Council grants, with more than $1.2 million funding arts programs. Kansas City was second with about $770,000 and Springfield was third with $135,650 in grants.

Money for the Missouri Arts Council comes from the Missouri General Assembly and includes some federal money. This year, the General Assembly allocated $1 million in new money, divided between two programs -- Minority Arts Employment, designed to expand projects that cultivate arts employment opportunities for Missouri minorities; and the Missouri Festival Initiative, designed to develop or enhance festivals throughout the states.

Missouri Arts Council money makes up about 20 percent of the local Arts Council's annual $160,000 budget. Funding also comes from the Christmas bazaar and a spring craft fair, membership, fees from art classes and entry fees for juried shows. Strohmeyer said corporate sponsorship has become an increasingly important funding source.

Money from the Missouri Arts Council has a double benefit, Strohmeyer said. In addition to providing cash to the community, the Missouri Arts Council endorsement makes fund raising for an event a little easier.

"Sponsors are more willing to sign on when the Missouri Arts Council has already looked at it and said it's good enough for them to fund."

Missouri Arts Council grants are provided on a 50-50 cash match basis. Every grant dollar must be matched with a local dollar, Strohmeyer explained.

ARTS MONEY

The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau ranks first among community ats programs receiving money from the Missouri Arts Council. Other communities receive more grant money from the state council in the form of direct grants for program assistance.

City Arts Council Funding Total MAC grants

Cape Girardeau $21,200 $31,300

St. Joseph $17,800 $96,650

Sedalia $16,000 $30,900

Bethel $15,500 $15,500

Boonville $15,200 $31,200

Kirksville $14,500 $46,025

Columbia $14,200 $130,400

Hannibal $13,750 $19,350

Springfield $13,500 $135,650

Jefferson City $11,875 $$50,150