Art Funding

There’s been a good deal of discussion about funding cuts for the arts, both at the national and state (at least Michigan) levels. I’m all for funding the arts, especially when it comes to supporting K-12 programs. History shows that strong, robust civilizations have strong, robust art programs. I wonder, however, what is the balance? In a (post?) capitalist society, art needs to prove itself beyond promoting civility and excitement, though these seem to be lacking throughout society today. The art community needs to be able to say that it could support itself if necessary. I’ve seen the statistics that say for every dollar put into the arts the economy gains fifteen. I believe this…but we need to continue pushing the envelope…tell our government in as many ways as possible that while funding cuts will hurt, it is the citizenry and officials that will suffer the most — not artists. We will continue to be creative and to create!