"To eat or not to eat, that is the question," read one sign at a pre-election protest against declining arts funding.
"Kiss my Arts," read another.
Performers Reuben Kaye, Chloe Hayden and Milo Hartill were among artists, musicians and arts workers who rallied outside the State Library in Melbourne on Monday evening to urge state election candidates to commit to long-term arts funding.
A one-eyed space alien, a rainbow octopus and a giant skull were on hand to support the cause - super-sized puppets from companies A Blanck Canvas, Snuff Puppets and Lemony S Puppet Theatre.
Arts Centre Melbourne worker and unionist Celia Handscombe told the crowd people were being forced to leave the industry.
"We are not in it for the money but without the money we can't keep doing it," she said.
"Artists are leaving the sector and cultural organisations are closing."
Arts workers were often underpaid or expected to work for free, the crowd was told, while many smaller organisations faced a precarious future.
Victoria's cultural funding has fallen 15 per cent in real terms since 2021-22, with the small-to-medium sector hit hardest, according to Monash University researcher Ben Eltham.
The most recent state budget locked in a one-third reduction in creative industries spending over the next four years in real terms, according to Don't Break Our Arts figures.
Museum staffer Sue Westwood, who held a sign that read "Have a Heart for Art", said the city's cultural life was important, but funding had diminished over many years.
"I've lost a bit of faith in all political parties because the arts doesn't even make the front page of anybody's policy platform," she told AAP.
The Victorian election will be held on November 28.
Organisations in the state that have weathered recent funding cuts include Writers Victoria, the Australian Print Workshop and Abbotsford Convent.
Arts worker Melissa Viola said she was paying off an indexed HECS debt for her arts qualification, but funding for her organisation had fallen each year.
"It's suffocating; we can't have a healthy democracy if we don't have sustainable arts culture," she told AAP.
Max Nunes-Cesar, who works with arts companies including Scary Goats Theatre, said his colleagues had full-time jobs outside the industry to support theatre shows.
"We love doing them. Funding is always an obstacle for us, but we do it anyway," he said.
The Victorian government has been contacted for comment.
