Public Suppport of the Arts

So today I feel compelled to defend a tiny piece of my job.

 

Today Montgomery County awarded almost $1 million to local arts organizations. You can read about the award and see the list of recipients in Terry Morris’ Dayton Daily News article. While you might have your own opinion for or against public funding of the arts you can imagine the comments in the DDN!

 

Valid points can be raised about cuts to mandated services (ie. sheriff) while funding the arts. However, the arts are also being cut. The article fails to mention that the arts are not funded out of the county’s general fund (tax revenue) like they used to be. And even if they were, it would still be a worthwhile investment. The arts funding was appropriated in previous budgets prior to the current financial crisis in which the county finds itself. Those appropriations will run out next year.

 

Here’s why I believe the arts should be supported (language adapted from the NEA):

The arts help define what it is to be an American—by building a sense of the nation’s identity, by reinforcing the reality of American pluralism, by advancing democraticvalues at home and by advancing democratic values and peace abroad.

The arts contribute to quality of life and economic growth—by making American

communities more livable and more prosperous and by increasing the nation’s

prosperity at home and abroad.

The arts help form an educated and aware citizenry—by promoting understanding in our diverse society, by developing competence in school and at work and by advancing freedom of inquiry and the open exchange of ideas and values.

The arts enhance individual life—by encouraging individual creativity, spirit and

potential and by providing release, relaxation and entertainment.

Additionally, whether it’s through public support or through private contributions, arts organizations and artists need supported. The average theater or musical production only generates enough revenue to cover 45-55% of a show's costs. Without public and private support of the arts our community’s capacity to offer quality arts would suffer.

Montgomery County is one of several counties in the US that funds the arts. For that we should be thankful. Ohio has traditionally had a strong arts council (which is also suffering the effects of state budget cuts). The NEA has a nice piece about public support of the arts and compares us to other countries. Check it out.

Next time you see a local performance or buy a work from a local artist, imagine our community without their existence and be thankful that Dayton has a top-ranked arts community for a region its size. And if the arts funding does go away, what next? Should there be a levy? A sin tax? A survival of the fittest deathmatch among the artists and organizations?

 

And let's not forget patrons who come in to downtown from other counties using local infrastructure and our amenities and neither they (with some exceptions for true arts patrons and donors) nor their communities contribute a dime to sustaining our arts and cultural heritage.