A GOOD INVESTMENT

The worst economic downturn in the past eighty years has created repercussions in every area of American life as families, businesses and governments seek ways to maximize income and cut expenses.

There is not a state in our nation that has not at least considered dramatic cuts in the arts, or the elimination of public funds in their entirety. There are many arguments for this, some of which, to be honest, have validity and need to be thoughtfully considered and addressed.

My personal political philosophy tends to run with Thomas Paine: “The government is best which governs least.” It is true that the presence of public money in the arts has led at times to not-so-subtle attempts by government bodies to take control of the arts. If you have ever completed an application for government arts funding, you must agree that the burden of political correctness is onerous. Rather then encouraging a truly free exchange of expressive ideas through the arts, public funding too often tends to support the agenda of the governmental agencies that determine which organizations and projects are funded.

Then, there is the very real issue of government inefficiency. To be honest, the number of person hours required to complete an application for public funding is usually so great, and the amount awarded so relatively small, that it is hardly worth the effort. There are many organizations who apply for public funding for the sole reason that significant private contributors often will only consider organizations that have been awarded government grants.

However, as valid as these points may be for many, there is one argument often heard that is completely invalid and must be loudly protested by everyone of sound mind in our society. That argument is that the arts are, somehow, a luxury or frivolity that can be dispensed with in challenging times.

I would contend that the arts are a foundational component of the highest human aspiration, as essential to the mind, soul and spirit as food and water is to the body. It is our thirst for and pursuit of ideas and hopes that separate us from the lesser creatures of Creation. The need to express and experience beauty has been a human drive since the dawn of Man, in the best of times and in the worst of times. Art is not an addendum to the human experience. Art is essential.

Consider the results experienced across the nation by school districts that have cut art and music from their curriculum for the purpose of spending more class time and energy in “math and science.” Almost without exception the math and science scores plummet. In school districts where funding and support for music and art has been maintained, math and science scores are higher.

There are many reasons the United States continues to fall below the world standard in public education, but I believe the loss of support for expressive arts is chief among them. Education is very different from vocational training. It should be the purpose of the educational system to create educated human beings who are possessed of the skills and creativity to build a better world. A student cannot become an educated person without a well-rounded education that includes art, literature and music. The nations across the globe that are excelling in education have proven this time and again.

Most of all, the arts are a good investment. It is a proven fact that every dollar invested in the arts, either publicly or privately, reaps a rich harvest of economic benefit. In Charleston, the change from a small Southern city with a crime-ridden downtown in the 1960s to a beautiful, safe, prosperous, and vibrant tourist destination for the last 35 years, is due largely to the city’s investment in the Spoleto USA and Piccolo Spoleto Festivals.

One of the primary considerations for business seeking new locations, or for top professionals seeking homes for their families, is quality of life. Cities without a vibrant arts community simply do not have the quality of life that attracts growing commerce and the highly educated professionals needed to sustain it.

The arts produce an amazing return for such a small investment. Those who advocate cutting the arts often neglect to point out what a tiny fraction of government spending is invested in cultural programs. The arts are a convenient target of attack because of their vulnerability and their lack of effective lobbying support systems. If every penny spent across the nation on the arts were eliminated, the savings would be infinitesimal, but the negative economic impact would be profound.

Opera star Joyce DiDinato, 2010 Gramophone Artist of the Year and native of Prairie Village, Kansas, recently wrote a powerful editorial in the Kansas City Star. She offered this quote by Alex Aldrich, head of the Vermont Arts Council: “Finally, and perhaps most importantly, every state should invest in the arts sector simply because it makes good economic sense. One of our most conservative policy analysts looked at state and local tax revenues that flowed to state and municipal coffers from our very narrowly-defined arts sector in Vermont. Income taxes paid by artists, arts administrators and independent arts contractors reveal a total return of $19.25 million on a combined investment of $2.5 million, which includes our $500,000 (state) appropriation. This annual return on investment of 775% is even more astonishing since nearly all of Vermont’s state tourism dollars promote skiing, outdoor recreation, fall foliage, and maple syrup...”

The arts are a good investment that brings life to our civilization and civilization to life. As President John F. Kennedy said: “I look forward to an America which will reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business or statecraft. I look forward to an America which will steadily raise the standards of artistic accomplishment and which will steadily enlarge cultural opportunities for all of our citizens. And I look forward to an America which commands respect throughout the world not only for its strength but for its civilization as well.”