Philadelphia Arts Organizations Getting Much Needed Support
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Philadelphia's arts community is showing signs of recovery. A survey by the Cultural Alliance found both attendance and individual contributions are up at most organizations.
The cultural alliance surveyed 102 organizations and found fewer lay-offs and even some hiring, thanks to higher ticket sales, subscriptions and donations.
Vice-president John McInerney says the organizations worked hard to manage their budgets and the community responded.
"If you want to look at who's the hero here in terms of the recovery in the sector, it's really the individuals in the community continuing to go out and be active despite the challenges they have in their own lives and their own budgets."
But McInerney says government support continues to decline and the survey found the recession depleted many of the groups' reserves so they're hoping for a continuing recovery.
"While they're valuable, they're also vulnerable."
