LA Arts Town Hall Meeting

I always like it when artsy people get together just to see what kind of jewelry they're wearing. I realize this is a rather shallow view, but I look forward to the displays of creativity worn about the neck and on ears. Yes, Tracy Cheney does enjoy fun jewelry.

Perhaps the anticipation of somber art news hadn't inspired many of the participants when they got dressed this morning. There were a few crafty pieces to admire among the crowd of 575, but for the most part, it wasn't a particularly festive group that gathered in the gray morning mist. The gray mood matched the sky.

This town hall meeting was an assessment of the state of the arts -- particularly funding.

I suppose the news many of us heard who were dependent upon grants confirmed what we already knew. The foundations who provide so much of our funding are in deep trouble, like any of us who lost money in the Wall Street fiasco. The largest supporter of the arts in CA, the Irvine Foundation, saw $600,000,000 disappear this year! Oweee.

I think the saddest news is that this was not the worst year... that's coming up, and will last for three years. I didn't know that foundations operate on three year cycles with the IRS. So this year sort of didn't count. Most foundations tried to delay the pain and maintain what they had committed to (except for positions like mine that were cut!). The deep gouges are expected to last through 2012. Of course, things could pick up!

Not all was doom and gloom: $50,000,000 was secured for the arts in Obama's stimulus package. This will be distributed out to state art agencies. 85,000 art supporters -- many in the room -- had written or called Congress. Rep. Norm Dicks shepherded it through. Robert Redford and other celebrities made calls the night before the vote.

What will the public get from this money? 40,850 arts-related businesses employ 190,267 people in Los Angeles County. In LA, 4.3% of all businesses are art-related, and that's 2.3% of all jobs across the US -- 6 million of them. There are more non-profit art organizations than ever. In 1965 there were 7,000. Today it's 100,000! Now 10% of those are in danger of going under, as 20% of the private funding disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The arts are the most invisible, secret weapon. It's too bad we have to continuously make the case for our existence!