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Spartanburg's arts sector suffers $2M hit during pandemic, mental health service needs rise

Herald-Journal
May 27, 2021

May 27—Spartanburg's cultural sector represents many nonprofits that took a financial hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, losing $2 million in revenue as business and private contributions plummeted.

"Those are real COVID numbers," said Lisa O'Connell-Hall, incoming president and CEO of Chapman Cultural Center.

The center, which opened in 2007, houses an art museum, regional history museum, science center, artists guild, the Little Theatre and Youth Theatre, Ballet Spartanburg and Spartanburg Philharmonic.

With nearly 200 events and 360,000 visitors a year, It supports more than 1,100 full-time jobs and generates nearly $3 million in local and state government.

O'Connell-Halltold Spartanburg City Council members Monday that the center is not in danger of closing, thanks to receiving federal Paycheck Protection Program funds.

But with a 25% drop in contributions and $2 million loss recorded last year, there may come a time when programs will have to be cut, she warned.

"Fortunately, we are a sound organization," she said.

To maintain operations, Paige Stephenson of the United Way of the Piedmont said she is hopeful the city and county will consider allocating some of the $78.4 million in new federal American Rescue Plan dollars to the Chapman Cultural Center, and dozens of other nonprofits that suffered losses in the last year due to the pandemic.

Mary Levens, executive director of the Spartanburg Science Center, told county council members earlier this month the center received $14,000 in Payback Protection Program funds last year to pay staffers, but lost more than $100,000 in revenue.

That forced the center to cut back on education programs and field trips at local schools, as well as cutting lab experiments.

The center has a hands-on science center with more than 23 exhibits, a live animal room and a museum room with a collection of fossils, bones, skulls, rocks and minerals. Summer camps for K4 through ninth-graders are continuing to be held.

"Teachers, administrators, after-school instructors need support in the sciences, but we need to be able to build back first," she said. "We can't really say we're 'Bringing Back the Burg' if some of the things that make Spartanburg so unique aren't there."

Haley Grau, executive director of Middle Tyger Community Center in Lyman, said her nonprofit also lost $100,000 in overall funding last year, although $53,900 in Payback Protection Program funds helped pay staff.

The center provides support for pregnant and parenting adolescents, GED and adult literacy classes, sliding-scale individual and family counseling services, crisis-relief and emergency food and utility assistance, free primary health care for uninsured, low-income residents, senior services, and child care and early education services.

She told county council members that 701 families and 2,500 people needed food — a "nearly sevenfold increase from prior years" — and that more than 20% of the families served had never used a food bank or pantry before.

Also, the center helped provide mental health services to 75 clients a week during the pandemic, up from 50 clients a month.

Jordan Wolfe, executive director of Hub City Farmers Market, said the market serves 25,000 people each year, supports 50 small businesses and local farmers, and hosts 600 youth education programs.

Since last March, expenses increased by $156,000, primarily from cutbacks in corporate sponsorships, she said. At the same time, demand for locally grown fruit and vegetables continues to grow, she said.

"Health is at the center of this pandemic," she told city council members on Monday. "We have to continue to do what we can to keep it a priority for the Spartanburg Community."

Contact Bob Montgomery at bob.montgomery@shj.com

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