I Knew This Couldn't Last Forever
I knew that Americans would, at some point, start asking for results from our beloved new president and only time will tell if our rosy outlook on Barack Obama will continue in its way. Arts Supporter, David Ross, wrote a ten point suggestion letter in the Art Newspaper. His suggestions seem ordinary enough and simple enough to implement but we shall see. The president is facing a tougher economy than we’ve been in 70+ years, an unpopular war, and a MAJOR spending deficit. Can he juggle all these challenges? And if he can, where is he going to get the cash? (I’m just a bit opposed to our levered existence - especially all our debt in the hands of China and such.)
Here are Ross’ suggestions:
1. Support the tax code amendment currently in the works that would give artists tax incentives for donating their work to public museums, and fully restore the tax incentive for gifts of appreciated property to museums and other non-profit educational organisations.
2. Re-establish a programme employing artists in a wide range of cultural institutions.
3. Revive and rebuild the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, de-politicising their processes, and providing them with budgets necessary to support the American cultural community. Nothing less than annual appropriation of $750m (as opposed to $290m today) is needed.
4. Create an independent study of the operating expenses of our museums and libraries, and then fund the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) sufficiently, so that the core costs of our museums and libraries can be properly met. (The same should be done in support of reinvigorating the infrastructure of our institutions of music, dance and theatre.)
5. Invest in art and music education for all school pupils, and ensure that these efforts are coordinated with the increased spending in direct artist support, as well as renewed institutional infrastructure and programme support.
6. Rebuild a new Arts America programme to allow American artists, musicians, dancers and writers to serve as cultural ambassadors and help rebuild the image of the United States around the world.
7. Simplify and expedite the process for obtaining (de-politicised) visas for visiting foreign artists, musicians and academics.
8. Restore direct federal and state grants for artists, musicians and writers (including critics).
9. Establish either a cabinet-level Secretary for Art and Culture, or at the very least, create a White House arts advisory office to coordinate and show presidential support for American culture.
10. Create an emergency bailout fund for cultural institutions in dire need during this current credit crisis. At least $250m will be necessary, but this is a drop in the ocean when compared with the value these institutions return to the nation as a whole. This single act will affirm to all that the federal government will not stand by and allow these great resources to falter.
3 years ago | Tags: economy, Obama-Mania art government stimulus package
