So the California state government values arts programs so little they decided to insult artists everywhere by giving the California Arts Council a token $1 million in the coming year. That is equivalent to three cents per person, and California has the mighty distinction of spending the least per capita for the arts. That’s like giving a waitress a three-cent tip to send the message that you were unhappy with her service rather than leaving no tip at all.
But was anyone really surprised? Artists are angry, rallies were held, speeches were given about the importance of the arts in our lives, especially in the lives of underprivileged children. How many boulders have to fall on our heads before we just accept that the California government does not support the arts – period. Forever an optimist, I have spent a lifetime fighting the acceptance of this grim fact. As the budget gridlock played itself out, my heart hoped for a miracle while my brain winced in anticipation of the worst. When the numbers finally were announced, I mourned more for the loss of hope than for the budget cut.
I don’t believe in victims, however, and I’m tired of hearing how school programs, small and medium-sized performing arts companies and community outreach programs are going to be devastated by lack of grant funding in the coming years. I know I’m very lucky to live in an area where the impact of an arts budget crisis will undoubtedly be less than in communities whose socio-economic demographics reflect less educated parents and less money for education programs in general. I know in this community, parents will once again open their wallets to fund arts programs in our schools, and the talented and educated artists who live among us and already provide outreach to those less fortunate will find a way to continue doing it. There are the people who get it, and the people who don’t. What we have on our side is that for the people who get it, making art and sharing art is a compulsion.
It seems that the solution to funding the arts in California lies with each of us individually. Forget about the state government. They play for the Don’t-Get-It-Team and no longer are worth our time and energy. We weep for their lost souls.
I see two places every one of us can make a huge contribution to the well-being of the arts statewide. Just like charity begins at home, so do the arts. Arts education through music, painting, dancing and drama can all be done inexpensively through projects custom designed for your child and his or her interests. If you think you don’t have any talent or skill in these areas, you’re wrong. At the very least, you probably have an opinion on any artistic contribution you come across. Start by talking about that. If your child shows an interest in something in particular, then dive into that subject with as much enthusiasm as they do. There’s no crime in learning along with them.
Giving monetary donations to community arts groups and small performing arts companies is another significant way you can help. And you don’t have to give much. If everyone gave even $5 or $10 to local organizations, that would be a much bigger pile of money for them to draw upon than waiting for a blessed few to donate hundreds, thousands or millions. Most of the organizations that most likely won’t survive without state grants are non-profits anyway, so you get the tax write-off when you help them weather this storm. And, it is those smallish organizations that often provide arts programs to the kids in inner-city schools, rural communities, the disabled and the elderly — the populations most likely to be forgotten once the budget plague ravages those organizations.
I’d like to think that if this community had food while the rest of California starved, we would feed our children first, but there would also be a canned food drive on every corner. That’s exactly what needs to happen now for the arts.