SAFE RE-OPENING CERTIFICATION The Missouri Arts Council, in collaboration with a statewide coalition of cultural organizations, is getting ready to launch its Missouri ArtSafe Certification. Arts organizations will be certified by pledging and adhering to a core level of safe practices. You can learn about this re-opening program on July 29 at 3:30 PM. Register for the webinar BLACK LIVES…
LUMINARY MAKES SECOND ROUND OF $1,000 GRANTS The Luminary, in partnership with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, has completed the second and final round of its Futures Fund: Emergency Relief for Artists grants. The following artists received unrestricted grants of $1,000: Eugenia Alexander, Brandon Bandy, Macarena Bieg, Jeanie Bryan, Tiara Burtin, Michael Chang, Sofia (Pia Rene) Consuegra, Vaughn…
STREET PERFORMERS STILL IN COURT University City and two street performers who have been harassed while performing in the Delmar Loop are no closer to resolving their legal dispute. In April, Washington University Law School’s First Amendment Clinic and the ACLU of Missouri filed a lawsuit on behalf of musicians Raven Wolf Jennings and Raymond Douglas. On June 23, U…
Dear Rep. Clay: Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Judy Chu are recruiting Democrats in the House to be cosponsors of the Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Act. I’m writing to encourage you to sign on. The proposed legislation would ensure that thousands of St. Louis creatives, who normally cobble their incomes together through a mix of traditional W-2 jobs and…
1. Missouri’s Medicaid program provides health insurance for low-income children and their parents, pregnant women, seniors, and the disabled. A family of four must earn $5,550 or less per year to qualify. Single adults aren’t eligible. Many artists are among those who make too much to qualify but not enough to get affordable health insurance. Expansion would close the gap…
MO UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS UPDATE Beginning July 5, individuals wishing to continue to receive unemployment benefits (including the $600 federal PUA supplement available through July 25) will be required to search for work. Those requirements had been lifted for those who filed a coronavirus-related unemployment claim. Read more about the work search requirements, including how self-employed individuals can comply. We've heard…
LOOP STREET MUSICIAN LAWSUIT UPDATE University City appears ready to back off policies that violate the First Amendment rights of street musicians. On June 23, University City’s attorneys responded to the lawsuit filed by the Washington University School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic and the ACLU of Missouri on behalf of Raven Wolf Felton Jennings and Raymond Douglas, two musicians…
MEDICAID EXPANSION GOES TO VOTERS We’re partnering with the Missouri Foundation for Health on educational outreach efforts to inform voters about the economic and health benefits of Medicaid expansion. Read about the arts case for expansion Why Medicaid Expansion Makes Sense for Missouri (free webinar) Wednesday, July 1, 6:30-7:30 PM On August 4, Missouri voters will decide whether an estimated…
On August 4, Missouri voters will decide whether an estimated 230,000 low-income adults should be newly eligible for Medicaid[1] coverage. The vote “YES” campaign makes a strong economic argument for Medicaid expansion. Proponents of the ballot measure, including the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, are citing a new report released by Missouri Foundation for Health that addresses job growth and state budget savings…
LIBRARIES STARTING TO RE-OPEN They’re back! Did you know that more Americans visited public libraries than movie theaters in 2019? According to a recent Gallup poll, libraries are by far the nation’s most popular cultural attraction. Young adults, women and people from low-income households visited libraries most often. Many patrons depend on library technology services — internet access, computers, printing and Hotspots for free WIFI access at home. Library closures…