THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 2, 1995 TAG: 9502020006
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Another View
SOURCE: By V. M. ``BARNEY'' ANNAS
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
For those who believe that the arts provide sustenance for the soul and are a critical component of civilization, it is time to turn up the burner, to put their patronage to the test in the art of advocacy.
Please believe it when I say that the arts are in a crisis. The federal government and the commonwealth of Virginia are threatening to slash or eliminate (as in the case of the National Endowment for the Arts) funding for the arts.
The National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting also are under attack. If Gov. George Allen has his way, museums, theaters, dance companies, music groups and other cultural organizations in our state, large and small, will be hurt badly.
The education and outreach programs will be the first to be cut back. And these programs are among the arts' most valuable contributions. As an example, 250,000 schoolchildren from throughout the state experienced the excitement of grand opera last year through Virginia Opera, the official opera company for the commonwealth.
I am certain that many state agencies could handle cuts in their budgets easier than the Virginia Commission for the Arts. Here's why: In 1990, when the arts commission was funded at $5.3 million, it was hit with a 77 percent cut.
This was during the tenure of Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, who prescribed cuts averaging 20 percent for most agencies and departments.
At that time, Mr. Wilder made it clear he wanted to abolish the Virginia Commission for the Arts altogether. Fortunately, there was such a hue and cry that this was not done. Instead, its budget was reduced by 77 percent. This was done even though the arts industry pays far more in income and sales taxes to the state than is returned to the arts commission.
The arts are truly a big industry in Virginia.
In the wake of the cuts came the founding of the Virginians for the Arts, an arts-advocacy organization with a membership consisting of about 300 cultural organizations and individuals.
On Jan. 25, designated as Arts Advocacy Day, hundreds of arts supporters from throughout the state gathered in Richmond. More than decry Governor Allen's proposed 50 percent decrease, advocates met with legislators from their regions to ask for a $1 million increase in funding for the commission.
I believe that a grave miscomprehension of the facts leads certain legislators to ask, ``Why should the government fund the arts at all?'' They say this in spite of polls that reveal that as much as 84 percent of the population believes the government should continue funding the arts.
After all, who do they think the government is? I have always thought that we, the people, are the government. And I believe that Virginians generally share my belief.
Cuts since 1990 already have taken their toll. A 15 percent loss of jobs by the artistic and administrative staffs of arts organizations around the state is directly traceable to the arts commission's reduced budget for 1991-1992. Among those organizations funded by the commission, there was a 30 percent cut in the number of programs provided for the public.
At least nine organizations have either officially gone out of business, disbanded or no longer have a staff or office.
One of the first to go under was Cultural Experiences Unlimited of Norfolk. This group had a long history of providing arts programs for low-income people, residents of hospitals and nursing homes, as well as people with disabilities. So much for the arts being for the elite!
Today, out of 56 states and territories, only Texas ranks below Virginia. How shameful it is for our state to rank 55th. Maryland, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky and Washington, D.C., surround us, and all are far ahead of us in per- capita funding for the arts. It is hard to believe that Virginia spends only 33.15 cents a year per person through the Virginia Commission for the Arts. But that is the case.
That's barely more than the price of a postage stamp for each citizen over the course of an entire year.
Virginians should raise their voices and join together in contacting the governor and legislators in the Virginia General Assembly. Virginians should also contact their congressmen and two senators in Washington and and ask them to support increased funding to the various arts agencies. The General Assembly has established a toll-free number, 1-800-889-0229, which enables Virginians to send messages to their representatives. I hope arts patrons will keep it busy. MEMO: Mr. Annas, who lives in Virginia Beach, is president of Virginians for
the Arts.
by CNB