The Arts are getting the shaft from the government... again!

Saw this in my local Theatre Association's newsletter. Please help! Without the arts, there is no culture, there is no life.


Senate Cuts Arts from Economic Stimulus Bill

From Americans for the Arts

Breaking News
This afternoon the U.S. Senate, during their consideration of the economic recovery bill, approved an egregious amendment offered by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) that stated ``None of the amounts appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, stadium, community park, museum, theater, art center, and highway beautification project.`` Unfortunately, the amendment passed by a wide vote margin of 73-24, and surprisingly included support from many high profile Senators including Chuck Schumer of New York, Dianne Feinstein of California, Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, and several other Democratic and Republican Senators.

If the Coburn amendment language is included in the final conference version of this legislation, many arts groups will be prevented from receiving economic recovery funds from any portion of this specific stimulus bill. It is clear that there is still much work to be done in the Senate and in the media about the role that nonprofit arts organizations and artists play in the nation`s economy and workforce.

Plan of Action

1. Arts advocates need to quickly contact Senators who voted for the Coburn Amendment and express your extreme disappointment with their vote. We need these Senators to know that their vote would detrimentally impact nonprofit arts organizations and the jobs they support in their state. We have crafted a customized message for you to send to your Senators based on their vote on the Coburn Amendment. The correct letter, customized to each of your Senators will appear when you enter your zip code. If your Senator voted for this funding prohibition, you can send them a message expressing your disappointment and ask them to work to delete this language in the final conference bill with the House. If your Senator voted against the Coburn Amendment, you can thank them for their support of the arts.

2. We need as many news articles as possible this coming week to publish stories about the economic impact of the nonprofit arts industry and how the recession is negatively affecting arts groups across the country. Please click here to customize an opinion editorial to your local media. We have provided you with easy-to-use talking points.

3. Next week, Americans for the Arts will be sending you another action alert that targets the White House and the soon-to-be-named Senators and Representatives who will serve as conferees to the final economic recovery bill. Please be prepared to take action on this alert as well.

4. Americans for the Arts itself is submitting op-eds to several national newspapers and online blogs. We are enlisting high profile leaders to co-sign these letters as well.

5. Americans for the Arts is purchasing full-page ads titled ``The Arts = Jobs`` in Washington`s top political newspapers in Roll Call, Politico and The Hill on Monday and Tuesday of next week. We encourage you to post the ad on your social network sites.

Please help us continue this important work by becoming an official member of the Arts Action Fund. Play your part by joining the Arts Action Fund today -- it's free and simple.

Like A Botonist Walking Through A Forest

Lately I've been going and seeing more theatre since now I know more people in the theatre scene. A lot of friend/acquaintances have shows going on right now and there is a college putting on a Mary Zimmerman piece, so I have lot of plans to go see theatre pretty much every weekend for awhile. Sounds spectacular right? Well, the problem is...

It's really hard for me to sit and just enjoy a play. Seriously.

I've spent my life living & breathing theatre. I had a teacher in school who said he couldn't enjoy just going to the theatre anymore and I questioned him about this because I didn't understand. He told me it was like a botonist walking through a forest. A botonist can't just take a walk through a forest, they see all the different kinds of plants and any diseases. They can't just enjoy the calm.

Well I've reached that point. It's a little sad for me. I love theatre, that's why I've consumed everything I could relating to theatre for so long, but now that I've become an "expert" (for lack of a not so elevated term) it has kind of ruined the experience for me. The only time a I get heart-a-flutter excited about seeing a play anymore is if it's a Mary Zimmerman play. Even when I get a chance to see some of my favorite plays, I get analytical. It annoys the hell out of me.

There has also been another crazy side effect of this... Now most of the TV I watch is reality TV because I don't have to think about the acting or directing. It isn't high quality and honestly the lower quality the better (thank you VH1)!

Sad really in the end. I think that's also why I like to work on new work, because there isn't a pre-made opinion about it. It's fresh, it's new, it's like an infant who you have to help grow up.

I'm wondering if anyone else out there feels like this about the work they do? Is it something that is just limited to the arts or does it affect other occupations as well?

Blog Action Day - Topic: Poverty

So today is Blog Action Day and the topic this year is Poverty.

As of yesterday I had no idea what I was going to write about. None. I thought maybe I would write about a play that deals with poverty, like Odets' Awake & Sing! or something like that.

Then I realized something when I stumbled upon Americans for the Arts Action Fund tally on where the candidates stand when it comes to arts funding. Suddenly the idea of poverty hit closer home.

I have friends who are working artists; my goal is eventually to be a working artist. When I took a look at the Arts positions of the 2008 candidates, I got scared for the future of arts funding in America.

Like a good democrat, Obama supports funding the arts. His campaign has put out an official policy proposal on arts funding that focuses on combining education and arts. At least from his position statement, he see the value of the arts. But will he really follow through on all this or is it an attempt to capture the already leftist artists? Why would he need to do that though, most artists I know would automatically vote left, purely because the Democratic Party has a history of supporting social programs, including the arts.

What scares me though is McCain and Palin. I was in Virginia on Monday, driving through a neighborhood and I forgot what it was like to be in a “red” state. In the course of two long blocks I saw probably 10 McCain/Palin signs, it was scary, mainly because of her, but that’s not what this blog post is about.

McCain doesn’t have published policy proposals on arts or arts education.

He hasn’t made a statement on federal support of the arts, though he has about arts education.

The Republican party platform does not include a statement on arts and/or arts education.

McCain himself has voted to cut funding or terminate the National Endowment for the Arts .

I know I’m not talking about the world’s poverty issue and I didn’t really set out to be political when I wrote this, but I’m concerned about where my country is going and whether or not I will cross that poverty line to pursue my dreams.

I’m not a huge fan of Obama, in fact I gained more respect for the ticket after I heard Biden speak. But McCain scares me and Palin scares me even more. It's the lesser of two evils situation, per usual.

I just ask that when you go to vote in less than a month, you consider what choice you make and how that will affect those you love.

Thanks to Abigail Katz's Katzeye Report for bringing to my attention the candidate's positions on arts funding.