Open Wardrobes

So today I came across (thanks to a Facebook friend) a link to an article by Tim Gihring in Minnesota Monthly which mentions a proposal to ultimately eliminate the Minnesota State Arts Board. Gihring puts this in the context of discussing some of the actions our current governor has taken on arts-related matters, but I think it brings up a broader question which has been nagging at me for some time. And this latest article has led me to finally put my thoughts in writing. What I am about to say will undoubtedly be considered highly controversial, especially among the Twin Cities arts community. But at the risk of offending the broader arts community of which I am a part, here it goes:

WHETHER OR NOT THE GOVERNMENT DOES OR DOES NOT FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE ARTS IS ULTIMATELY NOT THAT IMPORTANT

Now before my fellow artists all rush for their pitchforks, let me be clear: I am NOT saying that I think the government shouldn't support the arts or that such support is a bad thing. If such money is distributed wisely it can be a boon for artists and arts organizations, especially smaller ones, and may indeed make the difference in some cases between an organization staying open or closing its doors. But all of us in the arts know that if nothing else state arts funding is a fickle, fickle beast. Arts are usually one of the first thing to be cut in difficult times and we ignore this historical lesson at our peril. There will always be politicians who increase arts funding, and those who will cut it. This is the reality in which the arts live, and while it is often a frustrating one I think in the end it is a matter of secondary importance.

What I am trying to say is that we all too often emphasize government support of the arts over what is truly important: the support the arts and artists have in their communities. Gihring makes a great point in his article that the arts are a major factor in what draws people to Minnesota and that to lose our vibrant, thriving arts scene would be a major loss. I agree with that sentiment wholeheartedly, but I would argue that what has created such an amazing place for the arts is not (primarily) the degree to which the state government has provided the arts funding. Just looking at the Twin Cities, here is a community that contains countless theaters, including one of the largest Fringe festivals in North America, not one but two world-class orchestras, several major art museums, dance companies, a major opera house, small publishers, a thriving local music scene, and arguably the best public radio station in the country. And we got where we are not because of state funding (for we all know that it has often been in spite of such funding), but because of the broad support of the arts this community enjoys.

Simply put, Minnesotans love the arts and that is why they thrive. No arts organization, large or small, can support itself without creating a base of support in the community in which it lives. Very few arts organizations, in fact, can support themselves on ticket sales alone (at The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra where I work on staff only about a fifth of all revenue comes from ticket sales), which is why any ticket you purchase is likely to soon be followed by a letter asking for your further support. If we want the arts to continue to grow in Minnesota then we need to first be asking ourselves how to win over the people who don't yet support us (i.e. the people who think that money should be taken away from the arts so that we can build a new Vikings stadium), how to teach them the importance of the arts, and how to grow and mentor a new generation of both artists and audience members. The Minnesota Fringe Festival is a great example of how artists can create beautiful work on a shoestring budget, and when they do people come. I would argue that arts funding itself should be focused primarily on organizations that are seeking to build this very support (for example, the Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT) has as part of its mission to create community support for the arts within the Hmong community where it has not traditionally existed).

In the end neither the current governor nor any other politician has the power to either create or (more importantly) destroy the arts community we have all built. So yes, by all means let us rightfully resist the elimination of the Minnesota State Arts Board and continue to ask our elected officials to support the arts (and parks and libraries, while we're at it), but let's remember that whether arts funding is at a high or low, odds are it's a temporary state that may easily do a 180 in the next election cycle. The arts community that we have built goes deeper than that. If we want it to thrive, then that lies entirely within our control, even if state funding shrinks to nothing. We are the ones who buy tickets, volunteer, give donations, and most importantly create the art itself. The government may play a supporting role, but the responsibility for the arts is ours, and as a playwright, actor, and lover of the arts, may I say I know that we are up to the challenge.