Arts in a downsized economy

2009-05-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Do the people of Southern Arizona need to support the arts? The short answer is yes. The caveat is that the people of Sothern Arizona should not be required to give their hard earned money, if those same people do not support the artist and arts organizations. The city of Tucson and Pima County support the artists and the local arts organizations only through the use of providing tax payers money to them. The bureaucracy only has self serving reasons for donating other people’s money to the local artists and arts organization. The reasons have little to do with the goals, needs and sustainability of the arts. It does come down to protection, power, and expectations of the bureaucrats’. To become a successful artist or arts organization in the local area requires the individual or organization to develop the heart, mind and soul of a bureaucrat and subjugate the art to a minor role. The artist has little chance to develop business acumen and live a life as a working artist. The arts organizations have little chance to develop patrons that will support, encourage, and grow the organization so that sustainability is achieved.
The arts should be sustainable without the manipulative use of tax payers’ money. The artist and arts organizations gain nothing when they make a choice to accept funds (money) from bureaucrats. No matter how small or large the amount is, there is always a better and more productive use for the money. Any tax payer funds used by the arts and arts organizations, is taken away from some agency, department, program that needs the scarce funds. Public funding of arts is a luxury, and never a need or requirement of society, or an entitlement. In the Tucson area it is common for artists and arts organizations to deem public funding as an entitlement. Several years ago, I founded a nonprofit organization (NPO) for music students. In the process of meeting various NPO’s in the area, it became apparent that until I chose to accept government funding, the arts community in the Tucson area would treat me with disdain. The local government agencies only wanted to give me money.
If the local governments made a decision to stop funding the arts in Southern Arizona, the greatest impact would be on the bureaucrats that fund the local artists and arts organizations. They will retain their jobs, but lose their power and influence. The Symphony, Opera, Theater, Galleries, Museums, would be impacted to some extent, but would continue and grow bigger and better over the years. The individual artist that refuse to produce marketable art, and only live a life very similar to the homeless in artistic community, will scatter to the local shelters, and over time will go about their lives.
Today and of the next several years the local governments cannot afford to provide tax payer money to and for the arts. It is just a matter of fiscal responsibility and accountability.

Thoughts and Other Ramblings

Arts in a downsized economy