A new statewide network seeks to boost Kansas government support for arts organizations
Kansas ranks 47th in state funding for the arts. The Kansas Arts Network wants to change that.
Kansas legislators aren’t typically known for their support of the arts. But a group of artists is hoping to reverse two decades of neglect by persuading state lawmakers that funding the arts is a worthy investment in the state’s economy.
The newly formed Kansas Arts Network (KAN) made their presence known by hosting an Arts Day at the state capitol in late January — the first event of its kind in nearly a decade.
“This was a day to show who we are,” said Lindsay Benacka, vice president of KAN, which represents artists, art councils, and organizations from across the state.
The arts is a $4.6 billion industry that accounts for 2.2% of the Kansas economy, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Statewide, 42,000 people work in the arts. Wichita’s nonprofit arts industry alone generates $32.3 million in local, state, and federal tax revenue and supports 2,929 jobs.
Historically, arts funding has not been a priority for the legislature. Just last year, a bill was vetoed that would have offered tax breaks to filmmakers, and created scholarships and grants for film students who stay in the state. A tax credit for nonprofit theaters was also discarded as Gov. Laura Kelly and Republican legislators clashed over a tax relief bill they could agree upon.
For a period in the early 2010s, Kansas was the only state in the nation without a state arts commission when then-Governor Sam Brownback abolished the department. The loss of funding sent shockwaves across the state for arts organizations. Without state support, Kansas became ineligible for much of the available federal arts funding.
Kansas Arts Network is attempting to revitalize support for the arts through direct engagement of state legislators, distributing materials that highlight the importance of arts funding. One handout featured testimonials from artists, curators and art educators.
"Arts funding at the state level has provided me with jobs as a muralist to create public art for rural towns. Public art is a tourism driver and an engine for economic development,” Kansas painter Allison Bowman said in one of the handouts.
Kansas Arts Network was informally formed during the first Kansas Arts Councils Symposium, a gathering of artists, art councils, and organizations from across the state.
“We started talking about what an advocacy arm of the Kansas Arts Commission would look like, and that's where the idea started,” Benacka said.
Two years after being formed, KAN received its official nonprofit status. The arts day at the Capitol, held January 22, was its first big event.
“Elected officials want to hear from their constituents about what is important to them,” said Angela Cassette, a KAN board member who is also managing director of Music Theatre Wichita. “If we want to have any consideration of arts and creativity, we need to be talking with our elected officials.”
The Wichita Arts Council and Americans for the Arts says that investing in the arts can support health initiatives, boost tourism, advocate for social change, and bring communities together.
KAN has already started to set up connections with other state advocacy groups and the arts day at the capitol has allowed conversations with state lawmakers to begin. Next, they want to increase paid membership in order to eventually hire a full-time lobbyist.
The rocky history of the Kansas Arts Commission
Brownback eliminated the Kansas Arts Commission in 2011. At the time, he proposed a nonprofit organization be created to handle arts funding in the state.
“The arts will continue to thrive in Kansas when funded by private donations, and I intend to personally involve myself in efforts to make this happen,” Brownback said.
A nonprofit would not be eligible for federal matching funds, however. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) requires states to match the federal funds they receive. As a result, Kansas arts projects lost $778,200 in federal NEA funding in 2012.
The idea for a non-profit never got a strong foothold. Instead, a year later, a new state arts office was formed as a division of the Department of Commerce.
But this new state arts program wasn’t as well funded as its predecessor, the Kansas Arts Commission. This led to smaller grants for fewer recipients. A legislative audit found that only 33 of the state’s 105 counties had received a state arts grant in fiscal year 2019.
The effect of cutting funding
Kathy Guthrie became executive director of Garden City Arts in 2014, during the decline of state arts funding. “I was the only full-time employee. We could barely pay for my position when I came on,” she said.
A nonprofit arts center, Garden City Arts has now been serving the community for more than 30 years. The center offers a wide range of programming, including courses for beginners, advanced workshops, public art projects, and rotating exhibits, all aimed at making art accessible to the local community.
When she arrived, Garden City Arts was feeling the full impact of state funding cuts. Most of the center's programming required patrons to pay to participate. This contributed to low turnout; the financial strain made it difficult for the organization to offer the community the wide-reaching, inclusive art experiences it strived for.
COVID-19 led to more funding for the arts
COVID-19 changed everything. “The pandemic is where we really started to see things change for the better,” Guthrie said. For the first time since she started at Garden City Arts, her funding from the state felt secure. Since 2020, Garden City Arts has experienced a surge in patron interactions, growing from 7,500 in 2019 to 19,000 in 2024.
Initially public health measures intended to slow the spread of COVID-19 — requiring people to avoid public gatherings – home shuttered the arts economy. Theaters, museums, galleries, and other arts businesses faced closure.
But the pandemic ultimately led to an infusion of federal money to support artists during the pandemic. The National Endowment for the Arts offered relief by providing grants free of previous restrictions on funding. This money flowed through the state.
It was during the pandemic that Malissa Long, a Wichita artist, started to become more involved with art advocacy in Wichita. An artist specializing in textiles, Long is a member of the Wichita Arts Council and now sits on the board of the Kansas Arts Network.
Advocates like Long helped steer local and state lawmakers on how to support artists during the pandemic. The result was increased funding that has lasted years after the pandemic.
But even with increased funding following the pandemic, Kansas’s art funding remains low. When compared to other states on a per capita basis, Kansas ranks 44th in arts commission funding. And when considering only state-provided money, Kansas falls even further, ranking 47th.
That’s what the Kansas Arts Network is looking to change.
“We want to make sure that funding keeps going up and doesn’t slip back to where it was before,” Long said.
Building on the momentum
Kansas currently spends 38 cents per resident on the arts when the average spent across the United States is $2.31.
The level of state support also influences local funding.
“It shows your local city, it shows your local county that there's buy-in on a state level to support the arts.” Guthrie said. “It makes them ask ‘What are you doing? How much are you supporting the arts?’”
The future of Kansas' arts scene will ultimately hinge on the collaborative efforts made today and the decisions made in the statehouse tomorrow. KAN is committed to building on that collaborative momentum.
“We really believe in the power of the arts,” Benacka said, “to transform lives and build safe spaces. We want to advocate for those things that are really important to us.”
Trace Salzbrenner is a freelance journalist born and raised in the Midwest. He got his start writing for small newspapers and radio stations as a student at Kansas State. He’s written for the Wichita Beacon, Kansas Leadership Center’s The Journal, the Harper Advocate, and the Kingman Leader-Courier, among others. Now based in Boston, Trace writes stories focused on LGBTQ issues, government, and inequity.
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