Specifically at USC, the students graduating every year with degrees in the arts need a place to go for help to realize the dreams they spent four years and thousands of dollars learning about.
While Haley may consider the arts an unnecessary charity, the fact remains that art is an integral part of something she does claim to care about: business. Besides the many small businesses that have taken off with help from the Arts Commission, larger businesses and corporations can thrive or die by the talent of their graphic designers and advertisers. A simple mantra Haley could try to commit to memory might be: If it doesn't look pretty, no one's going to buy it. It's clear with every failed attempt at removal of arts funding that Haley and her cohorts can't discount the arts as merely a hobby.
The state House of Representatives overrode Haley's veto Tuesday with a vote of 110-5, proving that, at least on this issue, legislators listened to the impassioned cries of their constituents. Monday's rally and the subsequent victory for the Arts Commission in the House proves that the power of protest is still alive and well in South Carolina. Certain state officials aren't going to stop trying to cut support for the arts, but making sure concerned citizens voice their disagreement will make a difference. With all the artists gathered on the statehouse steps Monday, the freedom of assembly never looked (or sounded) so good.
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