The Corcoran's Roof

Oooh... Sommer Mathis over at DCist hits on a good one as she highlights Ed Lazere's (the executive director of the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute) most interesting piece in the current Hill Rag reviewing the Mayor's current budget proposal for arts funding in 2007.

Arts Funding in the Proposed 2007 Budget
Corcoran Roof - $8 million
Arena Stage Expansion - $10 million
Community Arts Programs - $8.1 million
Arts Education - $1.7 million
Howard Theater - $2.5 million
Barracks Row Theater - $2.5 million
Public Art Projects - $2.5 million

Lazere notes that

"Last year, the city pledged $20 million to support a major expansion at Arena Stage. This year's budget would raise the contribution from DC taxpayers even further, to $25 million, with $10 million coming in 2007. Overall, the budget would devote more to the Corcoran and Arena Stage in 2007 than to all other arts programs combined."

Read Lazere's entire piece here. It's interesting to me that the theatres are getting six times more funding than public art projects ($15 million compared to $2.5 million).