Friday, August 5, 2011
THE ARTS ARE MORE THAN WE CAN SEE
A great article appeared in the SNH this morning on the subject of the arts written by Troy Cooper. You will never read a better description of the arts and why it is so important to us and the nation. It is a wider subject than you imagined but the writer nails the essence of the arts in language you will understand, remember, and be better off for having read his piece.
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6 comments:
Pock as a society we are broke and back to basics, trying to put food on the table and keeping up with bills. Since prehistoric times art was attributed to having leisure time when bands of successful hunter-gatherers had time to delve into the world of creativity and religious idolitry. The art work found in caves in Spain and France and burial sites all over Europe are classic examples. Today we have limited leisure time unless we are wards of the state waiting for a government check to cloth, feed and house us.
Over the centuries art became largely dependent upon public assistance, where taxes were taken by government by force if necessary to fund the arts and architecture for a selfish few. We have an excellent example of that in downtown at the SCCA. The period for State and Federal tax credits is fast fast running out so they are now in a bind to find more new revenue sources (government) to maintain the arts at the expense of many for the benefit of an entitled few.
The other issue is the economic damage the SCCA has done to downtown businesses with subsidized restaurants, shops cannibalizing business and goodwill from the marketplace. It will take decades if ever, to repair that damage. According to a recent SNH article, Mr. Cooper works in a government recognized food desert. He may relish his hamburgers at the remaining few purveyors of the meaty victual on main street but he cannot eat art, and that's the harsh reality of today.
Art inspires the soul, but the taxes to keep the SCCA going boggles the mind. Time to cut the life-line and quit wasting money on a turkey under guise of community.
Why does the City subsidize Mosaic Restaurant and a gift shop. Shouldn't these be self-sustaining?
Is the restaurant current on its rent?
The SCCA has rental income, classes income, restaurant rent, gift shop income, dozens of "sponsors" who pay for the programs, ticket sales income (admittedly they can't sell many tickets), and several hundred annual "dues" from citizens.
Still the City annual $450,000 subsidy apparently pays more than 100% of the production costs.
This suggests that the bulk of the expense goes to "overhead" such as staff salaries and benefits.
How much is the annual unemployment cost for wrongfully terminted employees alone? Mr Bollinger?
What is the annual cost for private and board cocktail parties.
Do they have a full time accountant and an outside accounting firm? Full time fundraiser?
It appears 90% of the staff and board activities and projects are designed to generate funds to justify the fund raising.
This isn't fair to the Suffolk art community, the churches and schools who conduct community projects and plays without City subsidy, or the historical projects such as the train station, Riddick's Folly, the SN Historical Society, or the NSA annual art show, all of which accomplish more than the SCCA at a small fraction of the cost and staffing.
Mr. Cooper believes microwaves and chairs are art. That may be parially correct he missed their main purpose as did the Boards at the SCCA. If a microwave is unattractive it won't sell. If a chair is uncomfortable it remains on the showroom floor or warehouse. Thus it is the marketplace that drives product development. To put it into context, if you eat a bad meal you are not likely to return to that restaurant even if was the most artistic hamburger ever displayed on a greasy plate.
Wimpy said; "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." A classic example of Democrats living for today and deferring the future cost to others. The SCCA Board feasted from the table duing the good times and now are employing the talented(?) writers at the SNH to help during the lean years. Have you had a look at the market lately? Sorry pal writing an editorial isn't going to work.
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