Why waste money on the arts?

The government boasts that between federal, state, and local appropriations approximately $1.85 billion dollars went to the arts in FY2022. Within this total, the National Endowment for the Arts received $ 207 million in appropriations, bringing the overall increase up by seven percent. Much of the increase came from special COVID funding to help struggling institutions restart. Unfortunately, the amount allocated for the arts did not keep up with inflation that topped eight percent last year. If you count inflation, federal funding decreased by nineteen percent over the past twenty years. State appropriations were cut by thirty-three percent and local funding by fourteen percent.

Now, on the brink of a recession, funding for the arts is expected to decrease significantly once more. The devaluation of the dollar combined with population growth makes for a dismal outlook for next year’s programs. States have not only reduced funding for the arts, but they’ve also eliminated it as part of the school curriculum along with eliminated field trips, closing doors on an important part of childhood education.

Too bad you may say. Why does it matter?

Studies over the past thirty years show that young people who regularly participate in arts programs are:

• 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement
• 3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools
• 4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair
• 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance
• 4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem

Students of the arts show improved scores on ACT and SAT tests, are more likely to graduate from college and have better analytical skills than those who don’t participate. The arts are not fluff in developing an educated person. They are as important as reading and writing when it comes to developing a strong workforce.

I give a testament to the way the arts helped me throughout my life. Mother made sure I was well exposed to all forms of art through classes and attendance at museums and live performances. I took ballet classes from pre-school through high school and piano lessons for nearly as long. At the age of e eleven, Mom enrolled me in an oil painting class at the Philadelphia Art Museum. After class, I roamed the halls of that magnificent structure, though sometimes went to the natural history and science museums a few streets away. These museums opened my young eyes to a world of intrigue and possibility. They made me a curious person with a thirst for knowledge. Schools in my day required students to study art. These classes and summer camp provided rich programming in all types of crafts as well as fine art. They sealed my fate as an artist, entrepreneur, and writer. They became a way to communicate emotions and share the fruits of my labor, gifts from my world as seen through my eyes.

“Even a little dog is the center of his own universe,” said Anatole France. What I see and express to others comes from my soul, something no one can take from me. They helped me when my son was diagnosed with cancer and provided solace when sequestered during COVID. During stressful situations, there is no better place to throw frustrations to the wind than my studio. Putting thoughts on paper helps as well. Though I rarely read them, I still store a box of childhood diaries filled with embarrassing moments.

For some people, the arts mean music, for others it’s acting, dance, or carpentry. Whatever the preference, developing visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses will increase brain synapses and expands the way you think. It gives you more pathways to analyze problems and see solutions you may not have thought of before

It is interesting to note, that though public funding for the arts has decreased, private funding has not. The difficulty is that donors tend to fund the major institutions, not the small ones that introduce less wealthy people to the arts. When I started Impression 5 Science Museum in Michigan, I received a $5,000 grant to have a dimensional tableau of Guernica made so blind visitors could experience what Picasso had to say about the war in Spain. At the time, our museum had less than $50,000 to its name. Today, such a grant would never be awarded to an institution with such limited resources.

The Helicon Collaborative of artists reported in Not Just Money that two percent of all cultural institutions receive sixty percent of contributed revenue. Those fortunate non-profits boast annual budgets over five million dollars. Private foundation grants are given to those institutions that emphasize western culture, making the winners richer and the losers poorer.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, by 2032, people of color will make up the majority of the workforce, making it important that we balance the playing field. Equity has to be achieved if we want a creative, thriving society. It makes sense from a dollars and cents perspective. Bloomberg reports that the arts and culture contributed more than $800 billion annually to the U.S. economy. Prosperity depends on having a thriving art community. When creativity is boosted, entrepreneurship blossoms, social connections are made, and jobs increase.

So friends, don’t dis art and cultural organizations as being unimportant when they are. Instead, open yourself to the future and consider adopting Sweden’s public policy lauding the arts. “Culture is to be a dynamic, challenging, and independent force based on the freedom of expression. Everyone is to have the opportunity to participate in cultural life. Creativity, diversity, and artistic quality are to be integral parts of society’s development.”

References:

Grantmakers in the Arts website. Public Funding for the Arts in 2022. retrieved from https://reader.giarts.org/read/public-funding-for-arts-and-culture-in-2022#:~:text=2022%20Funding%20Levels,per%20capita%20investment%20of%20%245.49

Americans for the Arts Website. Why Public Funding for the Arts Matters. retrieved from https://www.americansforthearts.org/blog-feed/why-public-funding-for-the-arts-matters

Ragsdale, D. (2017) Tackling an inequitable arts fund system. Jumper on what the arts do and why. retrieved from https://www.artsjournal.com/jumper/2017/07/tackling-an-inequitable-arts-funding-system-a-response-to-the-report-not-just-money/

PBS News Hour website (2022)  3 ways that the U.S> population will change over the next decade. retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/3-ways-that-the-u-s-population-will-change-over-the-next-decade

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