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Creation is Hard
Monday, August 11, 2008
Creation is Hard
Destruction is easy; creation is hard. Creating takes inspiration and a belief in one’s purpose, one’s right to have a voice. Our city lies in peril of losing one of its great voices, The Columbus Symphony Orchestra. I have stood by in consternation and confusion as to how a community that loves its Symphony and its arts community can give way to the tide of “it’s dead,” a phrase that several community leaders have used with me privately regarding the CSO. From where I stand as the founder and Artistic Director of Columbus Dance Theatre I have a keen understanding of the struggles that face any arts organization. CDT is certainly a much smaller organization that the CSO, but we all face similar struggles as not-for-profit institutions: trying to maximize limited resources while maintaining artistic integrity. The problems at the Symphony are endemic of the obstacles faced by a functionally challenged idea of how we currently fund the arts. Not-for-profit arts organizations balance their budgets in a pyramid of peril: earned revenue, public money, and private support. If any one of these support systems fails collapse or a kind of “shrinking” often occurs. Subject to economic ups and downs, cultural institutions can experience cataclysmic downturns in their budgets leaving their ability to meet their mission in peril. This literally can happen overnight when a corporation or individual withdraws their funding unexpectedly. Why not exercise dramatic cutbacks? Why not say, “We should hire fewer musicians at the CSO, fewer dancers at BalletMet, or make actors play multiple roles at CATCO? In a way that is like saying, “Let’s fly the plane with one engine. It will save on fuel, and I think we’ll get there.” Dramatic cutbacks destroy the product because the artists are the product. They, and the art they create, are the mission.So, what to do? Corporations are strapped, individuals are tapped out, and the general public can purchase only a limited number of tickets on strained family budgets. We must presume that the major arts institutions are foundational to our lives in the same way that we presume that streets will be paved, fires extinguished, and our schools maintained. Culture is not a luxury. It is vital to the economic health of a major urban economy. The failure of a community’s cultural institutions signals a regressive economic environment hostile to economic development and future growth. In response to this economic and cultural emergency I offer a “modest proposal” for our city.The entire budget of the major (organizations with budgets exceeding 1 million dollars annually) arts organizations should be funded directly through a modest tax, The Franklin County Culture Tax. Using U.S. Census Bureau statistics, if the adult population of Franklin County paid an average of $50 per year this would create an annual allocation of $38 million dollars for these major institutions. What is the direct benefit to county residents – free attendance. All performances and admissions would be free to county residents. This operational underpinning would then allow these cultural institutions to raise money for their endowments – something that has eluded all of the major organizations as they must spend the bulk of their contributed revenue on general operations. Funds could be monitored through the Greater Columbus Arts Council who would use their current quality control measures to guarantee the judicious management of the public’s money.A peripheral benefit of this program would be the freeing of significant funds at GCAC that currently go to the major institutions in the city. This money could then sustain the smaller cultural organizations and attractions in town also enabling them to offer their programming free to county residents. Currently GCAC is funded by a portion of the Hotel/Motel tax. Today, Franklin County residents are paying nothing to sustain their local arts organizations, unless, of course, you are living in a hotel. This creative solution to our current arts funding dilemma will undoubtedly be met by an onslaught of naysayers. That is the nature of democracy. We debate and work together on creative solutions to better our communities. This will take work. Creation is hard. Destruction is easy. Let us not take the easy path. I call upon Mayor Coleman and the members of city council to offer temporary assistance from the city to guarantee the immediate survival of the CSO – an organization whose presence brings cultural and economic gravitas to the heart of our city. I then offer a plea to our elected leaders to consider this modest proposal or soon we could be a city without a voice.Tim VeachArtistic DirectorColumbus Dance Theatre
Posted by Tim Veach at 6:11 PM 0 comments
Labels: CSO, Symphony, tax
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Creation is Hard
Destruction is easy; creation is hard. Creating takes inspiration and a belief in one’s purpose, one’s right to have a voice. Our city lies in peril of losing one of its great voices, The Columbus Symphony Orchestra. I have stood by in consternation and confusion as to how a community that loves its Symphony and its arts community can give way to the tide of “it’s dead,” a phrase that several community leaders have used with me privately regarding the CSO.
From where I stand as the founder and Artistic Director of Columbus Dance Theatre I have a keen understanding of the struggles that face any arts organization. CDT is certainly a much smaller organization that the CSO, but we all face similar struggles as not-for-profit institutions: trying to maximize limited resources while maintaining artistic integrity. The problems at the Symphony are endemic of the obstacles faced by a functionally challenged idea of how we currently fund the arts. Not-for-profit arts organizations balance their budgets in a pyramid of peril: earned revenue, public money, and private support. If any one of these support systems fails collapse or a kind of “shrinking” often occurs. Subject to economic ups and downs, cultural institutions can experience cataclysmic downturns in their budgets leaving their ability to meet their mission in peril. This literally can happen overnight when a corporation or individual withdraws their funding unexpectedly.
Why not exercise dramatic cutbacks? Why not say, “We should hire fewer musicians at the CSO, fewer dancers at BalletMet, or make actors play multiple roles at CATCO? In a way that is like saying, “Let’s fly the plane with one engine. It will save on fuel, and I think we’ll get there.” Dramatic cutbacks destroy the product because the artists are the product. They, and the art they create, are the mission.
So, what to do? Corporations are strapped, individuals are tapped out, and the general public can purchase only a limited number of tickets on strained family budgets. We must presume that the major arts institutions are foundational to our lives in the same way that we presume that streets will be paved, fires extinguished, and our schools maintained. Culture is not a luxury. It is vital to the economic health of a major urban economy. The failure of a community’s cultural institutions signals a regressive economic environment hostile to economic development and future growth. In response to this economic and cultural emergency I offer a “modest proposal” for our city.
The entire budget of the major (organizations with budgets exceeding 1 million dollars annually) arts organizations should be funded directly through a modest tax, The Franklin County Culture Tax. Using U.S. Census Bureau statistics, if the adult population of Franklin County paid an average of $50 per year this would create an annual allocation of $38 million dollars for these major institutions. What is the direct benefit to county residents – free attendance. All performances and admissions would be free to county residents. This operational underpinning would then allow these cultural institutions to raise money for their endowments – something that has eluded all of the major organizations as they must spend the bulk of their contributed revenue on general operations. Funds could be monitored through the Greater Columbus Arts Council who would use their current quality control measures to guarantee the judicious management of the public’s money.
A peripheral benefit of this program would be the freeing of significant funds at GCAC that currently go to the major institutions in the city. This money could then sustain the smaller cultural organizations and attractions in town also enabling them to offer their programming free to county residents. Currently GCAC is funded by a portion of the Hotel/Motel tax. Today, Franklin County residents are paying nothing to sustain their local arts organizations, unless, of course, you are living in a hotel.
This creative solution to our current arts funding dilemma will undoubtedly be met by an onslaught of naysayers. That is the nature of democracy. We debate and work together on creative solutions to better our communities. This will take work. Creation is hard. Destruction is easy. Let us not take the easy path. I call upon Mayor Coleman and the members of city council to offer temporary assistance from the city to guarantee the immediate survival of the CSO – an organization whose presence brings cultural and economic gravitas to the heart of our city. I then offer a plea to our elected leaders to consider this modest proposal or soon we could be a city without a voice.
Tim Veach
Artistic Director
Columbus Dance Theatre
From where I stand as the founder and Artistic Director of Columbus Dance Theatre I have a keen understanding of the struggles that face any arts organization. CDT is certainly a much smaller organization that the CSO, but we all face similar struggles as not-for-profit institutions: trying to maximize limited resources while maintaining artistic integrity. The problems at the Symphony are endemic of the obstacles faced by a functionally challenged idea of how we currently fund the arts. Not-for-profit arts organizations balance their budgets in a pyramid of peril: earned revenue, public money, and private support. If any one of these support systems fails collapse or a kind of “shrinking” often occurs. Subject to economic ups and downs, cultural institutions can experience cataclysmic downturns in their budgets leaving their ability to meet their mission in peril. This literally can happen overnight when a corporation or individual withdraws their funding unexpectedly.
Why not exercise dramatic cutbacks? Why not say, “We should hire fewer musicians at the CSO, fewer dancers at BalletMet, or make actors play multiple roles at CATCO? In a way that is like saying, “Let’s fly the plane with one engine. It will save on fuel, and I think we’ll get there.” Dramatic cutbacks destroy the product because the artists are the product. They, and the art they create, are the mission.
So, what to do? Corporations are strapped, individuals are tapped out, and the general public can purchase only a limited number of tickets on strained family budgets. We must presume that the major arts institutions are foundational to our lives in the same way that we presume that streets will be paved, fires extinguished, and our schools maintained. Culture is not a luxury. It is vital to the economic health of a major urban economy. The failure of a community’s cultural institutions signals a regressive economic environment hostile to economic development and future growth. In response to this economic and cultural emergency I offer a “modest proposal” for our city.
The entire budget of the major (organizations with budgets exceeding 1 million dollars annually) arts organizations should be funded directly through a modest tax, The Franklin County Culture Tax. Using U.S. Census Bureau statistics, if the adult population of Franklin County paid an average of $50 per year this would create an annual allocation of $38 million dollars for these major institutions. What is the direct benefit to county residents – free attendance. All performances and admissions would be free to county residents. This operational underpinning would then allow these cultural institutions to raise money for their endowments – something that has eluded all of the major organizations as they must spend the bulk of their contributed revenue on general operations. Funds could be monitored through the Greater Columbus Arts Council who would use their current quality control measures to guarantee the judicious management of the public’s money.
A peripheral benefit of this program would be the freeing of significant funds at GCAC that currently go to the major institutions in the city. This money could then sustain the smaller cultural organizations and attractions in town also enabling them to offer their programming free to county residents. Currently GCAC is funded by a portion of the Hotel/Motel tax. Today, Franklin County residents are paying nothing to sustain their local arts organizations, unless, of course, you are living in a hotel.
This creative solution to our current arts funding dilemma will undoubtedly be met by an onslaught of naysayers. That is the nature of democracy. We debate and work together on creative solutions to better our communities. This will take work. Creation is hard. Destruction is easy. Let us not take the easy path. I call upon Mayor Coleman and the members of city council to offer temporary assistance from the city to guarantee the immediate survival of the CSO – an organization whose presence brings cultural and economic gravitas to the heart of our city. I then offer a plea to our elected leaders to consider this modest proposal or soon we could be a city without a voice.
Tim Veach
Artistic Director
Columbus Dance Theatre
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