President-elect Barack Obama promised an increase in funding to the National Endowment for the Arts during his campaign and was the first candidate in history to create an arts advisory committee.
""I want our students learning art and music and science and poetry"" Obama said in a Feb. 9 speech. And in a campaign press release, Obama said his administration would support increased funding for the endowment.
But many are skeptical of his promise when examining the dire state of the U.S. economy.
I think everything is up for grabs at this point" it's much too early to predict the budget" said Joel Henning, member of Obama's National Arts Policy Committee and columnist for The Wall Street Journal.
We have to be very cognizant of the fact that our economy is in terrible shape and the government has to spend an enormous amount for pulling the economy out of the slump.""
Many are questioning the endowment's future as it switches hands to the Obama administration.
Emil Kang" UNC's executive director for the arts" serves on an endowment grant selection panel. He said raising art support during bad economic times will be hard.
""Being an arts practitioner myself" we are always hoping for more support for the arts from the government and all sectors Kang said. But I think it's kind of hard to make this a priority" but that's to say the work of the endowment is imperative.""
But some N.C. organizations that receive funding from the endowment said the grants they receive barely fund any new programs.
""We would love it if public funding was increased"" said Steve Bishop, director of development for the Carolina Ballet. The ballet has received funding from the endowment for years.
Our budget is a little over $5 million. They give us $10"0 so it's not going to make or break us" he said.
Bishop said the majority of their budget comes from private donations and ticket sales. Carolina Ballet's 2008 $10,000 grant went to supporting the creation and presentation of a world premiere ballet.
Kang said the monetary prize is not the only reason organizations seek endowment grants — the government stamp of approval is just as important.
It's one of the incredible roles the endowment plays" is the support they give the funding particularly but also the stamp of approval it gives" Kang said. That is something worth way more than the dollars it gives.""
The endowment was created under the Johnson administration in 1965 as a response to the Soviet Union. The monetary support to artists provided by the endowment was to show America's toleration of diversity of thoughts to the Soviet Union.
But along with the collapse of the Soviet Union came criticism of the endowment from conservative groups and politicians" like the late N.C. Sen. Jesse Helms. Many conservatives argued that supporting the endowment was supporting a money pit as its original purpose was no longer applicable.
And arts funding is extremely difficult for organizations to come by. Bridgette Lacy of the North Carolina Arts Council said the grant the council receives from the federal government only accounts for 8.5 percent of its budget. The organization seeks out money from private grants and donations to subside its budget.
Those advocating for Obama's proposed increase in funding for the arts said a sizeable increase to the endowment's budget would be nearly negligible to the national budget" but would provide crucial money to support artistic endeavors.
""We're talking really about pennies with the NEA" Henning said. You can't even build one bridge across a river for that amount. So given the extraordinary cost of most other important public works" the arts are relatively inexpensive. The fact that Obama recognizes the importance of the arts and focuses some attention in it will be a big plus.
""Because for less than a cost of one bridge" you can do a lot for the arts in the country he said.
Kang said Carolina Performing Arts is being hit hard by the state of the economy — ticket sales are down and the cost of bringing acts to the University is rising.
The high arts in our country during boom times basically squeak by but when you see downturns is when you see arts organizations turn down or fold at the worst Kang said.
We are a bit protected because we are part of a university infrastructure but we are still seeing a slowdown in ticket sales and in that sense we are having to revisit our program for 2009-10" he said.
Kang said the economic downturn and lack of federal support for the arts could cause artists and programs to re-evaluate artistic motives.
Can we take the same risks that we have been taking?"" Kang said. ""What is the distinction between being an arts presenter and being commercial?""
Without Obama's promised support of the endowment"" Kang said he fears for the state of arts in the U.S.
""I think whether it's Lincoln Center or small community organizations"" we just started to see the problems and it's only going to get worse.""
Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
