DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — A local business is doing what it can to help an arts staple in Delray Beach.
Arts Garage, in the heart of downtown, is facing financial cuts impacting about 30% of its budget. That’s how much comes from government grants, according to the organization's CEO Marjorie Waldo.
"This is not just Friday night out on the town to come see a show," Waldo said. "This is way more meaningful than that."
WPTV reporter Victor Jorges spoke with Waldo at last month's Let's Hear It event that was hosted at the Arts Garage. She says the fight to keep government money in the arts is a long one.
"We are going to work very hard to become less and less reliant on government funding," Waldo said.
One local artist, Karen Alweil Helfman from Stitches by the Sea, is jumping in to help. She wants to raise money to help Arts Garage, using her talent and love for needlepoint.
"It's super cool, it's super groovy," Helfman said.
Needlepoint is a colorful, relaxing hobby with a growing number of fans in Delray Beach.
Helfman's idea is to have a canvas stitched up by Delray Beach residents. She's charging $10 for 10 stitches, a way for people to give back to their city.
"You can see by looking at the back, people have been putting in stitches," Helfman said.
According to Waldo, in the past, the organization has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the state. She said there have been recent changes to application scores and methods, leaving them with a potential allotment of about $4,000.
Right now, it is unclear how much money they’ll receive from Gov. Ron DeSantis' most recent budget.
"We don't know if there will be strings attached to this small amount of money, and if there are strings, we won't accept it," Waldo said.
Government grants at the city, county and state levels make up about a third of the Arts Garage's annual budget. The rest of their budget comes from private donations (10%) and ticket sales and fees for renting the venue (60%).
"We need to actively look at changing those percentages," Waldo said.
Filling the Stitches by the Sea canvas would total to a bit more than $30,000. Then, they'll sell the project and donate all those proceeds to Arts Garage.
To participate, visit Stitches by the Sea on Atlantic Avenue.
