The Michigan Arts and Culture Council’s Arts and Cultural Grant Program is proposed to face severe cuts in the House’s proposed substitute to House Bill 4706 (H-1), a draft of the budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The current requirements of state government the grant program are:

≤ Item One: Requires the Michigan Arts and Culture Council to administer an arts and cultural grant program that maintains an equitable geographic distribution of funding and utilizes past arts and cultural grant programs as a guideline; requires council to publish application criteria; authorizes the council to charge a non-refundable application fee, appropriated for expenses necessary to administer the programs; and requires a report to the legislature on awards.

≤ Item Two: Allows up to three percent of the arts and cultural appropriation to be expended for program administration.

≤ Item Three: Requires $250,000 from the arts and cultural program appropriation to be awarded to the Michigan Traditional Arts Program at Michigan State University.

≤ Item Four: Requires one million dollars from the arts and cultural program appropriation to be awarded to the Concert of Colors.

According to the new proposed budget that was approved by the House last week, “Executive revises to delete items two, three, and four. Senate revises to reduce the cap under item two to one percent, strike items three and four, and include new language allocating one million (dollars) to a cultural exchange network for a free music and arts festival.”

The proposed budget substitute can be read in full online at legislature.mi.gov/documents/2025-2026/billanalysis/House/pdf/2025-HLA-4706-KSQ98CW0.pdf.

The cause for concern is how these cuts could negatively impact arts and cultural organizations in Marquette County. Organizations across the county received a total of $248,012 in FY24 and $342,408 in FY25 in funding across 26 organizations in the county, with MACC awardees in the City of Marquette making up approximately 94% of the awardees in FY24 and approximately 95% in FY25. According to Tiina Morin, the Arts & Culture Manager for the City of Marquette, this funding support is what keeps the doors of some institutions open.

“These funds aren’t just about keeping the lights on, they directly support essential programming, especially for our youth and seniors. They bring festivals of all kinds, theater, music and art instruction to children and seniors, public art, teach history and preserve traditional art forms,” wrote Morin in a message to the Mining Journal. “At a time when arts and culture funding is being slashed at the federal level, it’s unthinkable that the State would follow suit. These institutions already operate on razor-thin budgets and often rely on outside donations to survive. Cutting their primary source of public funding will put them and the communities they serve at risk. Especially our most vulnerable.”

County organizations who have received MACC funding in the past include the City of Marquette-Arts & Culture Center, the Peter White Public Library, the City of Negaunee, the Father Marquette Catholic School System, the Fresh Coast Film Festival, the Friends of Historical Thunder Bay Inn, the Hiawatha Music Festival, Ishpeming Public Schools, the Lake Superior Theater, the Liberty Children’s Arts Project, the Marquette Choral Society, the Marquette City Band Inc., the Marquette County Historical Society Inc., the Marquette Downtown Development Authority, the Marquette Fringe Festival, the Marquette Maritime Museum, the Marquette Symphony Orchestra Inc., the Marquette-Alger Regional Educational Service Agency, Northern Michigan University’s Center for Native American Studies, NMU’s Department of Theater and Dance, NMU’s DeVos Art Museum, the Revolve CC Creative Conference, the Superior Arts Youth Theater, the Superior String Alliance, the Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum Inc., and the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and Museum Inc.

Andrea Ingmire, Director of the Peter White Public Library, explained how her organization could be affected by the proposed MACC cuts that have been approved by the State House.

“Last year was the first year we got that funding, and we applied for it because the City of Marquette Arts & Culture Center is moving out (of the library.) So we were like, ‘Oh, this is a great way that we could supplement some of the money that we have been getting from rental services from MACC to provide art programming here at the library after they leave,” said Ingmire. “When we applied for it, the intention was to help offset that loss of revenue, so this year (it) was used to fund the public gallery program. The Deo Gallery and the Huron Mountain Club Gallery, we pay for professional installation of those exhibits, so artists bring in their work and then we have a technician who comes in and actually does all the hanging, which is definitely something that everyone wants to have happen. They do not want me to do it. It just creates the more professional exhibit experience for the artists who have their work in the galleries”

Ingmire explained that the grant money from MACC also helped purchase acoustic treatments for the Deo gallery and aids in general upkeep and day-to-day operations of the gallery spaces. She says that if the funding is no longer available, the Friends of Peter White Public Library have agreed to supplement the money necessary to continue those programs.

“The program will continue, but it does take away revenue that could go towards other programs, and then obviously, there’s not as much more for general upkeep and improvements and lighting and when things break, it’s always like, ‘Well, where does that money come from?’ So for us, it really isn’t operational funds. It just takes away from capacity,” she said.

Compared to other arts and culture organizations, Ingmire says that the library is very fortunate to have other sources of funding and revenue, like those raised by the Friends of Peter White Public Library. However, she mentions that that isn’t always the case for other organizations who don’t have those supplemental funding sources.

“Some of the funding cuts that are coming through this reduction with the state money for arts funding, it’s going to devastate some of our local arts organizations, like they don’t have other funding sources. We’re really fortunate in that we are a tax-funded entity,” said Ingmire. “We are well supported and we have this amazing group of Friends who also work to raise money for library programming, but there’s an awful lot of organizations that this is the bulk of their operating funds, and it’s really going to be devastating.”

Peggy Frazier, President of the Lake Superior Theater, explained that the skills learned in arts and culture endeavors are also useful in other areas of life.

“We could spend pages sharing why theater is so important to our lives and those of our little ones, because Theatre teaches empathy, collaboration, and courage. Theatre programs produce not only great performers but also better citizens and workers. Even our littlest ones these days spend a lot of time on our screens. Those that spend time in live theater find that it is the last unmuted voice in a world that is full of one way conversations and/ or angry noise. A young person in a rehearsal room learns that you don’t win an argument by volume – it is by defining your objectives and tailoring your tactics to your audience and most of all by listening,” wrote Frazier in a message to the Mining Journal. “So when we found out that there was very little chance that NEA/MACC funding would not continue we were especially sad for the artistic endeavors that depend on that funding – but also for those that have not yet been created.

Creations of artistic variety that teach empathy, collaboration, as well as the courage to present choices. If we are now in a world (where) machines can imitate our voices we must step up and speak up with our own voices honestly.”

Frazier went on to say how LST has “live theatre for all” as its mission, and that the boathouse where their performances take place is for the entire community, not just those who can afford to take trips out of town to see live performances.

“LST, like other art forms, generates economic activity that keep our Downtowns alive while making our communities a great place to live, work, and play. LST will continue. Are our prices going to be affordable? Will we be able to replace our aging equipment without Grant support?

We are fortunate to have volunteer administrative staff & a place to perform unlike others. And we are incredibly grateful to our sponsors and (our) donors who have made it possible for us to fill the Boathouse with magic for 27 years,” wrote Frazier. “Let’s do this! Contact your legislators & make a donation today. See you at the Boathouse!”

Abby LaForest can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 548. Her email address is alaforest@miningjournal.net.