Posted by Mark Heter on July 02, 2003 at 16:17:22:
In Reply to: Re: Re: "How to Kill Orchestras" - NY Times posted by dp on July 02, 2003 at 15:15:03:
My point, and I have one, is that Mapplethorpe is water under the bridge. The NEA is pretty much dead. In recent administrations, arts are lucky to get lip service. Here in NJ, thankfully, a key part of the state budget compromise is some restoration of arts funding, where it was going to be eliminated entirely. We're broke here in NJ; the state hasn't paid into the pension funds since 1997 Whitman when "bonded" them - and now the bills are due.
Anyway - Mapplethorpe's photos gave these people what they wanted - an issue. Nevermind that the overwhelming amount of funding went traditional arts groups. The people who wanted to kill arts funding (no kickbacks from Lockheed, etc.) in favor of more and more defense spending now have their way. And that's where the money goes; about 75% of every tax dollar goes towards current defense budgets, and pensioning off retirees of the armed services.
For the most part, federal, state and local governbments don;t fund the arts here in the US - we depend on people of wealth to seed and sustain funding for all the arts. And right now, their stock portfolios suck, and they're cutting back.
What's the first thin YOU cut out of your budget when the dough is short? Entertainment!
The whole music industry (for profit/not for profit) survives on disposable income, which is in short supply these days.