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National Association of Counties * Washington, D.C.            Vol. 31, No. 5 * March 15, 1999

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The arts cut crime, boost local economy, Slaughter says

By Mary Ann Barton
senior staff writer

Rep. Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-N.Y.), who chairs the 140-member Congressional Member Organization for the Arts, discusses how the arts impact county tourism dollars and help deter juvenile crime, in a speech to NACo Legislative Conference delegates Feb. 28.
County officials should do what they can to see that federal funding of the arts continues because it helps cut crime and boosts their economies, Rep. Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-N.Y.) told a NACo Legislative Conference audience Feb. 28.

While overall crime rates are down, juvenile crime rates continue to climb, said Slaughter, who chairs the 140-member Congressional Member Organization for the Arts, which she founded.
She reeled off statistics that show:

  • 2,800 kids drop out of high school every day
  • 135,000 carry guns
  • 33 percent of all property crime is committed by juveniles
  • $7 billion a year is spent incarcerating juvenile offenders

She implored county officials to spend money on arts programs, saying they "have such profound effect – you can’t possibly lose."

Children who are involved in arts programs, she said, are better able to deal with anger, have higher self-esteem and learn discipline that helps them in their schoolwork.

Slaughter has introduced a measure that would increase the availability and affordability of quality before- and after-school child care for working families. It emphasizes academics, artistic pursuits and juvenile crime prevention.

Slaughter, who represents New York’s 28th District (Monroe County), said counties should think twice before they "mortgage their soul" by spending money on sports stadiums, adding that the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art sees more visitors than all of New York’s sports teams combined.

Broward County, Fla. receives top Arts and Culture Award

By Scott Logan
research assistant

President Betty Lou Ward presents Phil Rosenberg, human resources director, Broward County, Fla. and County News’ H.R. Doctor, with NACo’s Arts and Culture Award.
Broward County Fla.’s program, ArtServe, received NACo’s first Arts and Culture Award, presented during the NACo Legislative Conference. Competing against 36 other applicants, ArtServe took the first place award and $750.

Broward County’s Cultural Affairs Division created ArtServe using an innovative funding strategy involving federal, county, state and private sector funds. Designed to be an incubator for the arts, ArtServe is a centrally located facility focusing on management stabilization. It provides shared office space for cultural organizations, meeting rooms, a computer lab, rehearsal, performance and exhibit spaces at an affordable cost to more than 377 nonprofit organizations and 10,000 artists living and working in Broward County. ArtServe has become a national model for other arts incubators.

As NACo President Betty Lou Ward stated during the award presentation, ArtServe "demonstrates the necessary community impact, innovation, community/county partnership and transferability to other counties which make it a model."

Four honorable mention awards were also presented to the following counties:

  • Broward County, Fla. for its Public Art and Design Plan and Ordinance 95–20, an ordinance that provides permanent funding for county arts programs.
  • Multnomah County, Ore. for its Neighborhood Arts Program, which provided arts and cultural programming in community settings.
  • Montgomery County, Ohio for its Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, which supports the arts through a percent sales tax.
  • Pima County, Ariz. for its Las Artes Vocational Arts and Education Project, an arts program for at-risk youth which utilized innovative funding sources.

Sponsored by the NACo Arts and Culture Commission and funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation, the Arts and Culture Award is presented to a county government which has taken an innovative approach to integrate the arts into county policies, strategies and community partnerships.

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