Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events Seeking Public Input On Arts Funding

WDCB’s Gary Zidek catches up with Chicago’s new Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events commissioner Erin Harkey to talk about arts funding during the pandemic and a new effort to gather public input.

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It might be years before we’re able to fully understand the true impact the pandemic is having on the local cultural landscape. In the meantime, artists, cultural organizations and institutions are doing their best to navigate the situation. Early in 2022 that’s meant dealing with spiking covid metrics as the omicron variant spreads. There is some reason optimism as it relates to the local cultural landscape. Thanks to an influx of recovery dollars, the city of Chicago has stepped up its arts funding, increasing its Cultural Grants budget from $2.7 million to $20.7 million.

The important job of allocating that money falls to the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. In an effort to get a better understanding of what the public values, DCASE alongside Arts Alliance Illinois and the Chicago Cultural Alliances has launched an outreach initiative called CHICAGO ARTS AND CULTURE: FUNDING AND FUTURES. The goal is to gather input on resources and programming that would support Chicago creatives. You can find more information by visiting artsalliance.org/chicagofundingandfutures