G News: Haley Vetoes Cut Children's Museum of Upstate

Gov. Nikki Haley took a $150,000 bite out of The Children's Museum of the Upstate but didn't veto funding for the South Carolina Arts Commission as she has in the past.

Haley has vetoed S.C. Arts Commission funding every year for the past three years. Many in the arts community expected the governor to veto the commission's $2.9 million budget again this year, particularly after Haley reiterated her opposition to public funding for the arts during an appearance at Greenville's Artisphere.

In a press conference Thursday, Haley spoke briefly about the arts commission, saying it had cut unnecessary expenses.

"Look at where the arts commission started and where they are now," Haley said. "We've seen that they've tried to makie some improvements. The arts commission should be applauded for making the changes and reducing expenses that were not necessary. They saw we had issues with them and they fixed them."

Haley's decision not to touch the commission's funding this year reflects broad public support for the arts, according to the commission's director Ken May.

"We're very happy about it," May said. "I think it has become pretty obvious because of the actions of the Legislature that there's strong bipartisan support for public investment in the arts."

The Legislature has overridden Haley's past vetoes of the arts commission. The commission provides grants to more than a dozen local arts groups in Greenville as well as to organizations and individuals throughout the state.

Haley's veto of $150,000 for The Children's Museum of the Upstate, however, could negatively impact the venue's programs and relationship with the Smithsonian, said Nancy Halverson, the museum's president and CEO.

Haley has cut state money for the children's museum for two years in a row, vetoing funds related to tourism around the state.

The money was earmarked for the museum's marketing efforts and exhibits, including some potential collaborative efforts with Washington's Smithsonian Institution.

The museum is the only children's museum in the country to be have been designated an affiliate of the Smithsonian.

"We have visitors from all 50 states and 14 countries, and 60 percent of our visitors are from outside Greenville County," Halverson said. "We really are having an impact on tourism for the state and we wish we could get some support for that."

In her veto message, Haley said: "In each of our communities, we have historic sites, museums, and cultural centers that could benefit from a renovation, refreshed exhibits, or new artifacts. The right way to finance these undertakings is by selling memberships, collecting admissions fees and soliciting philanthropic support. The wrong way to do it is by earmarking state funds to choose one site over another to fund."

As an affiliate with the Smithsonian, the children's museum can borrow items from the Smithsonian's vast collections.

"But we have to pay for insurance and travel expenses for the items, and some of those things can be pretty expensive," Halverson said.

The children's museum is an important part of the Upstate's cultural fabric, which is crucial in attracting new residents and businesses to Greenville, Halverson said.

"One of the things we see more and more is that when big companies are coming to town, they'll actually bring people they're trying to recruit to the children's museum because we really are that family friendly place," Halverson said. "We're one of those main attractions when people are thinking about quality of life and moving to Greenville.

"I feel the contributions of museums are not fully appreciated as far as what we bring to our state, our quality of life and the cultural depth of our community," Halverson said. "Greenville is such a wonderful place and there's so much here, but in order to keep it, we've got to support it." 

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