SHOW ME THE (ART) MONEY
Art has moved from fringe to center in recent public discourse. Much of the Right’s criticism of the $800 billion + American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has focused on $50 million designated for the National Endowment for the Arts. Which is less than 100th of 1 percent of the total stimulus package.
House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana summed up the criticism by succinctly asking “This is stimulus?” As if supporting artists is not supporting the national economy.
Apparently Mr. Pence isn’t aware of the recent study released by the National Governor’s Association titled, Arts and the Economy: Using Arts and Culture to Stimulate State Economic Development. It concluded, “Arts and culture are important to state economies. Arts and culture-related industries, also known as 'creative industries,' provide direct economic benefits to states and communities: They create jobs, attract investments, generate tax revenues, and stimulate local economies through tourism and consumer purchases."
Furthermore research by Americans for the Arts found that nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences generate $166.2 billion in economic activity every year, support 5.7 million jobs, and return nearly $30 billion in government revenue every year. Every $1 billion in spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences results in almost 70,000 full time jobs.
That’s major cashmonay.
Despite this contribution by the art world, the attacks on artists are not new or surprising. There’s a long tradition of devaluing the contributions of those who would seek to make the world more beautiful. Would labor to inspire us to seek our higher selves. To dream.
When education budgets tighten in local and state governments around the country, art funding is the first to go. Which is why so many schools are failing. Our children aren’t effectively being taught the power of creativity. They aren’t inspired to explore the deepest part of themselves. Instead, budgets send the message that creative thinking is not a priority so just follow directions, and think and test -- when I tell you -- and what I tell you. This approach does not bode well for the future when our future is clearly going to demand creative problem solving.
We need to support artists because it’s great for our children and great for America … and it’s worked before to help get America back to work.
According to the Institute for Policy Studies, the Federal Writer’s Project, which was established during the depression-era administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, created over 6000 jobs for writers, editors, and researchers. Among other things these writers interviewed citizens, did ethnographies, and collected oral histories, including 2000 first person accounts of slavery. An invaluable American resource which is now in the Library of Congress. The Federal Writer’s Project employed John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston and many other iconic writers who’ve helped to tell the story of America. It’s hard for a writer to write if she can’t eat.
During the same era, Roosevelt also ushered in the Federal Art Project which created over 5000 jobs for American artists, including Jackson Pollack. During the program, artists created over 17,000 sculptures, over 100,000 paintings, over 200,000 prints and over 2,500 murals.
FDR had the good sense to know that in order to help the depression-era economy get back on its feet, he had to help artists get back on their feet.
Artists are Americans too.
American artists who help to build those internal structures that keep us solvent during hard times. The type of structures that connect us to the human family. The types of structures that Aristotle referred to when he said, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”
Peace & Blessings,
Michael Datcher
Editor
House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana summed up the criticism by succinctly asking “This is stimulus?” As if supporting artists is not supporting the national economy.
Apparently Mr. Pence isn’t aware of the recent study released by the National Governor’s Association titled, Arts and the Economy: Using Arts and Culture to Stimulate State Economic Development. It concluded, “Arts and culture are important to state economies. Arts and culture-related industries, also known as 'creative industries,' provide direct economic benefits to states and communities: They create jobs, attract investments, generate tax revenues, and stimulate local economies through tourism and consumer purchases."
Furthermore research by Americans for the Arts found that nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences generate $166.2 billion in economic activity every year, support 5.7 million jobs, and return nearly $30 billion in government revenue every year. Every $1 billion in spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences results in almost 70,000 full time jobs.
That’s major cashmonay.
Despite this contribution by the art world, the attacks on artists are not new or surprising. There’s a long tradition of devaluing the contributions of those who would seek to make the world more beautiful. Would labor to inspire us to seek our higher selves. To dream.
When education budgets tighten in local and state governments around the country, art funding is the first to go. Which is why so many schools are failing. Our children aren’t effectively being taught the power of creativity. They aren’t inspired to explore the deepest part of themselves. Instead, budgets send the message that creative thinking is not a priority so just follow directions, and think and test -- when I tell you -- and what I tell you. This approach does not bode well for the future when our future is clearly going to demand creative problem solving.
We need to support artists because it’s great for our children and great for America … and it’s worked before to help get America back to work.
According to the Institute for Policy Studies, the Federal Writer’s Project, which was established during the depression-era administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, created over 6000 jobs for writers, editors, and researchers. Among other things these writers interviewed citizens, did ethnographies, and collected oral histories, including 2000 first person accounts of slavery. An invaluable American resource which is now in the Library of Congress. The Federal Writer’s Project employed John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston and many other iconic writers who’ve helped to tell the story of America. It’s hard for a writer to write if she can’t eat.
During the same era, Roosevelt also ushered in the Federal Art Project which created over 5000 jobs for American artists, including Jackson Pollack. During the program, artists created over 17,000 sculptures, over 100,000 paintings, over 200,000 prints and over 2,500 murals.
FDR had the good sense to know that in order to help the depression-era economy get back on its feet, he had to help artists get back on their feet.
Artists are Americans too.
American artists who help to build those internal structures that keep us solvent during hard times. The type of structures that connect us to the human family. The types of structures that Aristotle referred to when he said, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”
Peace & Blessings,
Michael Datcher
Editor
posted by Editorial Staff | 4:17 PM
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