PBS NewsHour: In a hallway outside their congressman’s office on Capitol Hill, eight of Louisville, Kentucky’s top art leaders huddled Tuesday to figure out a plan. Representatives from the arts community descend every year on Washington, D.C., to lobby for arts funding. But this year was different.
2 comments:
I think that a problem, not only for arts but in general, is that people do not know what federal money goes to. In addition, when most people think about arts spending they think about big city theaters and museums. As a result, people are willing to cut arts funding. Also, people seemed to be extremely worried about jobs, focusing attention on how arts bring jobs is a great idea. As the author points out, in the NEA loses its funding, it’s the smaller theaters in smaller cities that will have to close rather the the bigger ones in major cities. When you have an arts business, not only do you need the artists but you also need business people. This results in more employees and more jobs. Hopefully this article can bring awareness, to legislator and the general public, about arts funding and how important it is, not only for artist but also the economy.
This article is really great compared to many others I have read on the National Endowment for the Arts and it's current plan in the federal budget. It is not taking about that places that are going to be hit the most, and it is not just a sad story of all the great things that may be ended, it is showing a perspective from a small town where arts is not popular and how they are hoping to change the current proposition. There are thousands of little towns like this all over the country and each one has a voice they can use and follow in Kentucky's lead. To be honest I don't know if bringing up the jobs is the best way to appeal to grant. Arts programs do create jobs -really incredible jobs. But, in comparison to the coal industry our reliance on coal as a nation is very great, and people are more likely to volunteer their time and effort to the arts than the coal industry, and I think therefore a job in the coal industry is more valuable - especially in the minds of those who have the NEA in their hands. I think our love and passion for the arts is going to be the downfall for the NEA, because even if the money is gone, our passion stays and people will create programs for children and start groups for theater because they love it - not because their is money available, and that could be why is falls.
Post a Comment