Protecting Ohio's Heritage

As Ohio’s statewide arts advocacy service organization, Ohio Citizens for the Arts works to secure public funding for the arts. Discussions of slashes to the National Endowment for the Arts continue in Washington, and the advocacy efforts of organization’s like Ohio Citizens for the Arts are critical to retaining as much of the NEA’s budget as possible. The organization is focused on its mission, and it is attempting to affect policy in a new way.

Five Ohio organizations have joined forces to form the Coalition in support of “Protecting Ohio’s Heritage.” The Ohio Citizens for the Arts, Friends of the Ohio Historical Society, Ohio Environmental Council, Ohio League of Conservation Voters, and Ohio Soil and Water Districts are the first of other potential organizations that may participate in this effort. The Coalition states,

“There are few things that make Ohio a special place, that improve our lives and help define us. Our arts and culture, our land, our lakes and rivers, our history; these assets are the core of what it means to be an Ohioan.”

The goal of the Coalition is to create a statewide ballot issue that will dedicate revenue to protect Ohio’s arts, culture, historic, and natural assets. This policy mirrors the Minnesota’s Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, which passed in November of 2008. The amendment stated that the sales and use tax rate would be increased from 6.5% to 6.875% on taxable sales until the year 2034—revenue which would be decided to protect drinking water sources, land, arts and culture organizations, parks and trails, and bodies of water. 19.75% of the new revenue created a new Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, which generated about $8 million in FY2010 and $54.5 million in FY2011.

If a similar amendment were passed in Ohio, $26 million could be generated to preserve Ohio’s arts and cultural heritage. The Coalition is currently in Phase I of their policy work. This includes such actions as research, polling, and focus groups to gather public opinion; legal research to draft ballot language and rationale; and economic impact analysis from a variety of sectors within the Coalition. The group is also utilizing strategy and communications firms to lead the process.

Again, like Arts Power Chicago, we have another example of collaborative advocacy in an effort to support the arts. In this case, the collaboration involves organizations that have a range of interests that collectively support not only the arts but also parks, natural resources, and historic sites. The research and analysis going into the process is deliberate and inclusive, which will hopefully help garner public support for the proposed ballot issue.