Technology in the Arts: In Washington, an era of budget austerity and renewed calls for less government spending have led to increased fears that the arts, long protected from budget cuts, will see its federal funding further decreased for the coming fiscal year.
Monday, October 03, 2011
Protecting Federal Funding for the Arts
Technology in the Arts: In Washington, an era of budget austerity and renewed calls for less government spending have led to increased fears that the arts, long protected from budget cuts, will see its federal funding further decreased for the coming fiscal year.
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This article confirms a need for the theatre more than the fine arts communities to make themselves self reliant. We are in show business and like it or not there has to be a push toward profitability. While I do not endorse a philosophical change in the goals and principals of theatre organizations to accommodate that move toward profitability we must make some changes or theatre will join opera in the land of the rich high society past times. We must be cognizant that each show will not be our last great contribution to art. I also believe that management at most smaller community theatres need to resolve themselves to the fact that theatre does not sell in enough in certain areas to support their overhead and they must expand their repertoire to include other forms of performance such as dance and concerts. It is a poor time for theatre due to shrinking federal state and municipal funding options and a stagnant economy making businesses reticent to be patrons of the arts.
It worries me quite a bit that our government has stopped caring nearly as much as it should be about anything other than its military and wartime expenditures. Of course I realize that we also need to have a well-funded system of defense, but I remember being told repeatedly, and from a very young age, that a solid education system and arts foundation are two of the things that prove you are in a wealthy, successful country. Now that our country has lost some of that wealth, it seems unnervingly easy to neglect these foundations, and I worry for the next generation of uneducated, unartistic children to grow up and stop caring about theatre altogether.
I am upset by the fact that the President wants to avoid making such an extreme cut to the NEA, but that the government as a whole will oppose him. He has the right idea: spend some money on the arts and education, because the children (aka the future of our country) deserve opportunities to learn and grow and because the arts not only support the growth of our children but also promote community and compassion in all. With so much money going to an endless war, I wonder when these arts and education budget cuts will ever stop. The arts make our country a better place, and Americans as a people will not be as strong or compassionate as possible if we are not given the chance to create art. I can imagine a terrifying future in which the world revolves around technology, warfare, and nothing else, in which children are raised to be uniform and act like robots in a world in which they can't be creative and live freely. Alright, so this metaphor is a little extreme, but our country is starting to go downhill towards one scary future or another when it comes to its lack of support for the arts.
It's so sad when you hear about more budget cuts to art programs. But like Luke said this is an opportunity for us as theater and art people to rise to the occasion and perhaps make some self reliant way of making and teaching theater. I hate that we are receiving budget cuts in our arts programs but maybe we can turn it around as a type of opportunity to take the wheel and show how important art and theater really is. We can still educate children in arts if we take the initiative and really take a step forward. Do more community theater and volunteer art programs.
Not to get too political, but I feel there are many areas the government is spending money that are better cut than the arts, and I would hope that the President and Congress see those areas as well. But I must also say that governmental budget cuts are something our generation is going to have to get very used to if we are going to get the national debt under control, and in order to do that many things are going to need to be cut back. I appreciate that they aren't cutting out the arts budget entirely, which may be a battle we fight during our lifetime.
Budget cuts will never, ever go away. Everyone in the entire world is looking for a way to spend less money...rich or poor. I would rather read an article that brainstorms creative and innovative ways to overcome, or adapt around the looming reality of budget cuts. If we make quality theatre then we will attract an audience.. To me the beauty of theatre is not how much money you spend on your rig, but rather the magic you create with the stage you've been given. Yes, a larger wallet makes a lot of things easier and luxurious... but I would rather stick to the root of theatre and create art with what resources we have without blaming Washington.
Budget cuts are a prominent issue wherever you go. We will always hear about budget cuts to the arts, and education. The arts will always thrive and develop because the individuals who care about the arts will not stop because of the government. Theatre is an industry that can survive in my opinion because we love what we do and want to show others. There will always be education in the arts, the scale in some cases may not be as large as it used to but we will always try. Continuing to advocate for funding to the arts is a way in which we will keep the arts going; individuals will always make sure that there is art, art can't be a dying art form.
I am never happy to hear about budget cuts in the arts, especially theatre. Government is too concentrated on their budget for war, I mean, like Calvin said, there are better areas that the government could make cuts from. Although this is upsetting to hear I know that people who share a passion for theatre will continually thrive for their love of this art form. The generations after us deserve to share the same experiences we have had, not only to grow as an individual or as part of our society, but as what the future of our nation holds.
In a time of war I can understand things like the arts receiving cuts. And artists will always find ways to create and reach out to communities, no matter the budget. I think that the government will do anything they can to continue educational and artistic opportunities for children, especially as research further supports the different types of intelligence present in our society. Arts are becoming clearly invaluable in elementary and secondary education in order to have a country of happy, well-developed, productive, and successful people. I don't know what all this virtual support of the arts is going to accomplish, the government understands the value of the arts and theatre, as well as all the other aspect of our country that the budget needs to fund. The number of people who support the arts doesn't make it more or less important. Especially in Washington, the arts are almost as present as politics.
It's not surprising that the arts will be at the the top of the list when it comes to federal budget cuts. But perhaps we can take this negative situation and turn it into a positive opportunity. Think in terms of an individual project, one where you are given a very regimented list of materials or very narrow parameters. The joy of a project like this is the challenge you are presented: to make a lot out of a little. Succeeding in a project of this sort will be more rewarding and remarkable because of those narrow initial parameters. Would the musical works of Beethoven be as remarkable if he had not been deaf. Could the story of Joan of Ark be told the same way if she were not a woman? It is the hardships that make their successes more surprising and praise-worthy. Therefore, I would encourage the arts community to seize the chance to make lemons out of lemonade, because I believe that will lead to more excited outcomes and design solutions.
As the economic state of the United States gets worse we are forced to make cuts in areas that don't seem to be as important to society. I do not like, but understand the want to cut from the arts. But to cut from education? That shouldn't even be questionable. Education is one of the most powerful tools we have. The National Endowment for Humanities should not be cut from.
I also really like the idea of using modern means of technology to get the word out to help prevent from significant budget cuts. If enough people do it, it's an easy way to actually do something.
My concern lies in the fact that arts organizations are having their funding reduced while there are other, less beneficial towards our culture as a whole, organizations are still fine and in the clear. Granted, everyone is suffering economically, but in times like this funding for arts organizations is even more important because of the influx of new work being produced with this polical and economic climate in mind. We lose a lot of potential new work (and therefor potential income) because of the budget cuts. Really the government is shooting themselves in the foot by cutting budgets because of the businesses which are closing as a result...
The issue with our governments spending today is that those in charge of the governments budget are looking at the wrong causes for poor budget spending. They are looking at who is by their standards "non essential" and just cutting what money they get. Trouble is area's like the arts are not wasting their money like other departments of the government. why is it that education, arts and infrastructure are getting their funding cut down while money is thrown away at military spendings on other countries? if education and the arts are getting cut then the military and government spendings should take just as great of a cut.
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