California is last in arts funding — as usual
When it comes to funding for state arts agencies, California remains not-so-proudly ensconced in its customary slot — dead last — according to a report from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies.
The service and advocacy group calculates that the California Arts Council's $5.6-million budget comes to 15 cents per capita — 11% of the national average of $1.35. We've been in the cellar since 2003, when the budget crisis before the current budget crisis led to the agency's gutting. The arts council's starvation diet has been a bipartisan affair: Former Democrat Gov. Gray Davis, who had built the arts budget to more than $30 million in 2001, slashed it to barely more than $3 million two years later. Under Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the tax-generated share of arts funding has been about $1 million.
Taken together, the 50 states' 2008-09 budgets include a pinch less for the arts than they did a year ago, down from $414.3 million to $412.5 million. But if you subtract federal largess distributed through the National Endowment for the Arts and count only funds that states ante up from their own revenue sources, arts funding slipped 3.3% — the first drop after four straight years of overall gains.
The California arts budget includes $1.1 million from the state's general fund — the minimum needed to qualify for matching money from the NEA. The bulk of our state arts council's money — $3.2 million — is, in essence, a form of charity: voluntary extra payments that arts-loving motorists make so their vehicles can sport special arts-themed vanity license plates.
At least the arts council's new chairwoman, Malissa Feruzzi Shriver, should have a decent chance of getting the governor's ear: A painter and art dealer, she's the wife of Santa Monica City Council member Bobby Shriver — and thus the sister-in-law of the governor and his wife, Maria Shriver. She became chair by a vote of the arts council members last month, succeeding Michael Alexander, the executive director of Grand Performances, the free performance series in downtown L.A. Another Angeleno, Eunice David, wife of lyricist Hal David, is the new vice chairwoman.
CORRECTION: The original version of this story incorrectly said that Schwarzenegger “engineered” the policy of offering special arts license plates to help fund the California Arts Council. The arts plates debuted in 1994; a bill sponsored by Sen. Jack Scott (D-Altedena) boosted the price of the plates in 2005, creating a bigger yield to the arts council. Schwarzenegger supported that price increase.
— Mike Boehm
I have taken it on as a personal mission to ensure that Orange County gets its fair share of what little money is available.
Only 2 California Arts Council grants were awarded to OC organizations in each of the last two funding years--compared to dozens in LA, SD and SF.
The Arts Council apparently noticed my criticism in a recent e-newsletter, and to their credit offered to conduct a grant application workshop here in OC next week for its Artists in Schools Program.
If you are interested in attending, it will be held at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana on Tuesday, February 17 at 10 am.
I'm determined that Orange County groups will no longer leave money on the table!
For my comments on Mike Boehm's reporting, go to sparkoc.blogspot.com
Posted by: Rick Stein | February 13, 2009 at 08:47 AM
The arts council are snobs and don't deserve funds. They're are the prototype cliches of arts elitism that causes the American public to go ballistic anytime there's mention of "arts" funding - like the current $50 million NEA arts stimulus funds.
Just go to one or two of their public meetings sometime and get a load of how they treat the general public. I've been to two, and while they wine and dine on public largess, they won't offer you a bottle of water. And they'll ignore you're presence.
If they go out of business, it might be a blessing to the public relations of the real art community.
Posted by: scratch | February 13, 2009 at 10:26 AM
Outside of some excellent arts and crafts in Laguna, art doesnt exist in the OC. I was shocked to see they are having a Diebenkorn Ocean Park exibit, but postponed it. Probably will cancel as their nouveau riche backers will bail on em. First real art thing to ever go on in the land called the OC, the true lala land, Disney is their idea of art, and lives styles.
LA isnt much better, but arts overall are way down, with the amount of artists at a level dwarfing all of previous human history, so much waste. Design is excellent, never against good applied arts, but the creative arts? Since Coltrane died its been all downhill since. Far more artists in music, specifically jazz, and some blues and RandB, than visual arts, we just arent good at it. Every culture has its strengths and weaknesses, we're just good at marketing any old thing. Hype.
Oh, forgot to address one guys comment about sports, uh, if you looked, most sports arenas are packed, and though theatres may get more, you are obviously including movie thears whch are not art at all. And you only use football, whichis only 16 games, and baseball, basketball, and even hockey dwarf the arts visitation,. Artistss always looking to twist "facts", never see context, though they whine about it constatnly, its always about them. How can the blind lead the blind. And then on top of it, those who watch on TV are vast, those who watched the Super Bowl were far more than all the artsy theatres in the world.
Grow up. Art defintley has its orth, thats why I am in it, agaisnt my will. Hated artistes from my childhood, grew up around it, but got drawn in, as I am damn good at it. And many other things, which is why I am good, artsites only know their little thing, and so have nothing to compare or share. Small minds lead to small creations. We got plenty of garbage as is, who needs more?
art collegia delenda est
Posted by: Donald Frazell | February 13, 2009 at 01:21 PM
That is a nice and interesting name.
Posted by: Compare Van Insurance | February 14, 2009 at 12:02 AM
Thanks for the post. I lam becoming a fan of the blog.
Posted by: Courier Insurance | February 14, 2009 at 12:23 AM
Hi Mike, I hope every artist in LA reads your article.
In the San Francisco Bay Area The Present Group recently organized a poster project along these lines that was delivered to politicians.
http://blog.thepresentgroup.com/?cat=46
Posted by: joseph | February 16, 2009 at 09:52 AM