A group of Hawai'i artists rallied outside the state Capitol on Wednesday to protest a bill they say threatens funding for the arts.
Hawai'i was the first state in the U.S. to adopt the "percent-for-art" law in 1965, in which the money goes to the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts special fund to acquire modern local artworks, fund art programs, and more.
The law has applied to funding for construction and renovation of state buildings. But House Bill 1807 would exempt appropriations for renovation projects.
Laurel Nakanishi is a teaching artist and a recipient of the SFCA's grant program. She said the grants help her teach creative writing and poetry at public elementary schools statewide.
"From my experience of working with these children and seeing them connect with the arts, I can see how it helps them heal and connect them back into their learning communities or home communities," Nakanishi said.
Demonstrators lined up on the South Beretania side with signs that read, "Save the arts," "Don't gut arts funding," and "It's art practice, not art hobby."
Kevin Grennan, an oil painter at the SFCA, said it's the first time he's seen artists rally at the Legislature, adding that arts have been in line for budget cuts for years.
"We fund all kinds of arts, programming and education," he said. "It's not just about purchasing artworks. Art is not just decoration. It's also deeply connected to culture. So those are the things that often get lost in the conversations."
The House Culture, Arts and International Affairs Committee passed HB 1807, but it also passed other measures supporting the SFCA. That includes a measure that would add additional funding to the state foundation to develop an arts for healing program for people affected by the Aug. 8 wildfire on Maui.
HB 1939 would appropriate funds to the SFCA to create a statewide art program for people impacted by the Maui wildfire. The measure doesn't have a dollar amount of how much the program would cost the state.
HB 1940 would appropriate funds out of the works of art special fund to the state foundation for integrating works of art projects into several major capital improvement projects. That means it would raise the ceiling of the SFCA's spending on that special fund.
During the committee hearing, Karen Ewald, the executive director of SFCA, said that the foundation has about $10 million in that account but can only spend up to $5.5 million.
Ewald and artists supported the measures, which were introduced by Chair Adrain Tam.
But HB 1807, introduced by Rep. Kyle Yamashita, who also chairs the House Finance Committee, garnered more than 200 pages of written testimony opposing the measure.
Ewald said the special fund receives about $2.5 million a year from the percent for art revenue, adding that if the Legislature cuts funding, it would impact the arts community by ending funding for statewide arts programs.
The committee passed the measure, amending the language to provide additional exclusions to the 1% for the amount of certain types of construction work.
"For example, roads, waterworks, bridges, and so on," Tam said.
According to Ewald, the amendments were made to put guardrails on the measure, adding that it's "a wait and see" on the amendments.
Reps. Tam, Rose Martinez, Andrew Garrett, and David Alcos III voted with reservations. Rep. Jeanné Kapela was the lone no-vote.
"I feel that from the testimony we've heard along with the comments that I've been getting from individuals from my own community, I cannot in good faith support this measure," she said. "Even with the guardrails, I feel like measures like this are austerity politics."
Prior to the hearing, Yamashita told HPR, "Right now, the money is needed elsewhere. For example, the state currently has a repair and maintenance backlog of over $1 billion in facilities across the state. This change may not solve the backlog problem, but we need to do everything possible to prioritize our spending on the most critical needs."
HPR requested an interview with Yamashita, who couldn't be reached for comment on the amendments.
The measures must get a hearing from the House Finance Committee, which Yamashita chairs.
