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The latest "everyone has to tighten their belts" news came out last week, and it wasn't pretty. As the Oregonian reported, among the budget lines being cut to make up for the $855 million shortfall:
$2 million that goes to counties for economic development; $1.2 million to treat problem gamblers; $4.1 million aimed at cleaning up sites contaminated by hazardous waste; and $900,000 to prevent child abuse.
And then there was $1.8 million from the Oregon Cultural Trust. It's this last bit that has engendered a firestorm of angry protest by bringing up two very different questions. There's a specific one: Is it appropriate for the state to use money donated for a clear purpose — in this case to fund humanities and arts projects — to plug a budget shortfall in a miserable biennium? And then there's a more general one: How much money should be spent on the arts in such a difficult time?
At least one private institution is making the case that art has an important role to play in cash-strapped times. Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust — who is watching the university's endowment drop 33% to $24 billion — recently announced that the arts deserve more attention, not less:
Especially in difficult times, when ways of thinking and doing that we have taken for granted are challenged... we must encourage our students to ask fundamental questions and to solve problems in the inventive and collaborative ways exemplified by the making of art. Art produces experiences and objects that are carefully constructed and intricate reflections of the world. Empathy, imagination, and creativity are forms of knowledge that a university must foster in its students.... In times of uncertainty, the arts remind us of our humanity and provide the reassuring proof that we, along with the Grecian urn, have endured and will continue to do so. Now is the time to embrace, not retreat from, the arts.
What would it mean to follow Harvard's rhetorical lead? Does a city or a state's embrace of the arts necessarily mean a retreat from social services? If you're in the arts, how are you dealing with tighter public funding, or a frozen private market?
And what about the art itself? What is art's role in a recession? What is its worth?
GUESTS:
- Mary Nolan: Democratic state representative representing Oregon's 36th district and Oregon House Majority Leader
- Paul King: Co-founder of White Bird Dance, member of the Board of Northwest Business for Culture and the Arts and chair-elect of Dance/USA
- Christine D'Arcy: Executive director of the Oregon Cultural Trust and the Oregon Arts Commission
- Bob Hicks: Author of the blog Art Scatter, freelance writer for The Oregonian, and former arts reporter and editor for The Oregonian and Oregon Journal
- Steve Dennis: artist and owner of Earthworks Gallery
- Greg Phillips: Executive director of Portland Center Stage
Tagged as: arts · funding · recession
Photo credit: hellochris / Flickr / Creative Commons
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Another great comment from the "cultural elite" explaining to us lesser beings how important they (and the "arts") are, especially as regards the "mob" (read average person).
So the request is $1.8 millian from a budget in excess of $12 million to help balance the buget and provide REAL services to citizens.
Mark me as "take the money" and run
Gerald Howard
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For my 'non-artist' friends who would relegate themselves as unable to be creative human beings and instead dream only of a price to deny payment for the artists they steal from in their daily lives:
Who do they think designed the lines on their car that was probably the original determining factor to buy the vehicle? Their bicycle? The pie recipe they just ate? The coffee drink that their barista just made for them? Their homes design? Their beautifully landscaped yard surrounding their home? The clothes they wear? The computer screen and keyboard they use to read this message? The city they live in, the streets, the buildings? The creatively worded conversation they just had that may have changed their local government to improve life in the community? Artists did that for you. Those artists provide products, artworks, conveniences and inspirations for you in your daily life. Those artists cannot live without an income just as you cannot.
You see, we are all born artists as human beings. Some people have just lost the sense of the definition of the word or are they in denial of reality and the universe? Do they not exercise the free will to think and create something daily in their lives? Or do they expect an artist to do that for them for free??
If you choose not to fund the arts, you chose to deny your child or other students in the community a proper education. You choose to deny your own life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. -Mark Seibold, Artist-Astronomer-Teacher, Portland Oregon
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Without the popular arts - in particular, the vast pool of musicians - in this city, we'd still be waiting for the next housing bubble to lift our timber based economy out of the dump - much as Portland muddled through its first century of existence. Damn near everything that makes this city as "livable" as its reputation claims can be traced to an active music and arts scene that brought the much praised, but mostly poorly compensated "creative class" into this city. Very little of the governmental money actually makes it to any of these people, but it does foster an overall facade of "support for the arts" that DOES end up getting people out into the venues where these people toil for $50 a night.
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I'm a classical musician and the Executive Director of a small professional music ensemble, In Mulieribus. We became a not-for-profit last year and promoted the Oregon Cultural Trust matching gift tax credit heavily in our initial rounds of fundraising. What does the legislature suggest I tell donors who made gifts to us and OCT? Our existence is always on the margin, and our credibility is essential.
www.inmuliierbus.org
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I think I just heard Rep Nolan say that donors were notified of this decision. I am a donor, and I was not notified, and I'm not happy. Maybe she meant that only those who bought the license plates were notified, but that is not satisfactory. That distinction is completely artificial; as far as I can tell, it's only usefulness was in deciding how much money to take. To say that there is some difference in the money is the same logic as the CEOs who claim that their bonuses are OK because they weren't paid directly out of the federal bailout.
There are two things I would like to hear in the on-air discussion:
Were other "reserve funds" used? If not, why not?
Is this a loan or can the trust just kiss this money good-by?
If there are not satisfactory answers to these questions, I must say that I will be less likely to donate to the Trust in the future, and I am sure I'm not the only one.
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This is ridiculous. The State should not be taking money from a program in which it was DONATED for a specific purpose. The license plates are NOT a charge to support arts, they are a donation point blank. By suggesting otherwise Ms. Nolan is simply playing buericratic games. Some wonder why so many people aren't involved in their government? This is a clear example of why we the people don't trust our own government.
If they want to save some money then realease non-violent offenders from prison. Legalize and tax cannabis. There are plenty of far better options than stealing from donations.
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As a person who relies on the economic health of Oregon to be able to afford to support the arts, I think the decision that was made does support the arts by keeping essential services working and local jobs healthy. Thank you, Oregon legislature, for acting in a reasonable way during these unreasonable times.
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That's the problem, they aren't preserving "essential" services. Overall the government should not be a huge part of our lives, we should be able to provide almost everything between ourselves, but we've begun to rely on the government too much. As far as i'm concerned helathcare and education should be the two main things the government runs, almost everything else being run by the people. We know this will not happen though...
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I'm an artist, and while it's unfortunate the OCT funds were diverted, Oregonians should not complain about the state funding important programs from what's already in the bank. The big issue here is that Oregonians don't want to pay for the programs they insist on the state providing. If we could work together to accept reasonable taxes on "untouchable" things such as gasoline, liquor, wine, and beer, with citizen oversight on how the funds are used, the OCT wouldn't need to be raided.
I do think that the money needs to be returned when the economy recovers, and legislators will be accountable for that when I cast my vote in the future.
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The so-called "donors" have nothing to complain about. They were paid back via a tax credit, dollar for dollar, for the money they sent the Cultural Trust, up to $500 for individuals and $1,000 for couples. The legislature could also end the tax credit. Which would they prefer? A one time use of the funds during an economic crisis or ending a tax credit program that benefits 4,600 taxpayers, many of them if not most at the upper income levels.
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The basic issue is going back on one's word and the State has done that. Can they be trusted for any promise made? Regarding the tax break you mention, I presume the revenue department will now be diallowing the credit for those donating to the OCT via the plates since it is no longer a "donation" to a non-rpofit cause, rather one to the State.....
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and please stop the free White Bird plugs. thanks.
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Those who pay $30 more than the license fee have no one to blame but themselves. When you give more than what is required, you should know that the money belongs to the government and the politicians. Haven't we learnt that we should NEVER trust our politicians with our money? Why don't we give out $30 to a true, private art institution rather than giving it to the government so that it can spend it the way politicians want?
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This not the first time government has raided so-called "trusts". The aviation industry has been trying for DECADES to get money in the Airport and Airway trust spent for a the improvements it was created to enable.
Obviously there are arts and cultural organizations that don't run the risk of politician plundering, and now that we've seen what can happen, donations should be channeled elsewhere.
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This assures I will Never NEVER buy a license plate option ever again .....
Not Cater Lake ... Not Arts ....
Never again.
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I have been a regular contributor to the Oregon Cultural Trust. I believe it's a betrayal of contributors' intent to redirect contributions to the General Fund. If money is redirected to the General Fund, I will not make any contributions to the Oregon Cultural Trust in the future. Instead, I will use my money to contribute directly to arts organizations.
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The question of whether the arts are important misses the fundamental point, as some people have pointed out: people donated money specifically for the arts and now that money is not being used for that. The justification is that they were desperate for money. Really? It's okay to steal as long as your desperate for money? I assume, then, that the state will no longer be prosecuting bank robbers, shoplifters and petty thieves as long as their reason is that they were desperate.
This is not rocket science. If you're a leader, expect people to follow your lead.
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I've copied what the DMV websites says our money goes to if we opt to purchase certain license plates. It doesn't say if the state budget needs these monies, it can be moved to that account. I think the legislature has acutally made an illegal move by taking the cultural plate fees. Will it be paid back? Rep. Nolan said that it's more like a statement when we purchase these plates, if I wanted to make a statement I could buy a $1 sticker for my car.
- The $50 additional charge per two-year period for Custom Plates supports Oregon passenger rail programs.
- The additional $15 a plate fee per two-year period for Salmon plates is divided equally between the Governor's Watershed Enhancement Board, designed to restore salmon habitats and improve the health of streams that support the salmon population, and State Parks and Recreation Department Fund.
- The additional $10 per plate fee for Crater Lake plates goes to the Oregon Community Foundation for use on Crater Lake National Park projects.
- The additional $15 per plate fee for Cultural plates goes to the Trust for Cultural Development to fund specific arts, heritage and humanities programs.
- The additional fees for group plates go to the various organizations.
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I think donators may have legitimate grounds for a law suit, at least the ones who donated by buying the special license plate.
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets, usually financial in nature, by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted.
Any questions?
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I just got the irony of the name "Cultural Arts TRUST", the very thing that the legislature has betrayed.
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Hello,
Basic bottom line is one of trust. If a cultural license plate is purchased with the understanding that the money will go to the arts or the salmon plate will go to support the health of the environment and the money is not used as intended it is a real breach of trust. To use the money for anything else is not only dishonest, it is a kind of fraud. I and others will be very hesitant to purchase these plates again we are just paying for a fancy plate without the funds being used for its intended use.
Government wonders why people distrust it so much and it is seemingly small decisions like this that over and over again erode that trust.
While I understand the many challenges facing government at this time it is important to keep in mind the reason for the purchase of the license plates. To use the money for any other purpose is simply betraying those who bought the plates.
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I beg to differ with Mary Nolan's views about using funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust. It's like stealing from your child's piggy bank. You want to instill a life-long habit of saving, but then you take the money when you're in crisis. Sorry, that's an easy out!
I've worked as a fundraising consultant for many years for non-profit arts organizations, and it is an inviolable fact that one should NEVER violate a donor's trust. It is poor stewardship to take this money. The arts and people who devote their livelihood to the arts are already "subsidizing" the community by working for little money, for contributing to our quality of life. If you've ever watched Oregon Art Beat, this fact would be crystal clear. Why are the Arts responsible for filling this hole? Revamp the tax structure, so that there's a more equitable sharing of this load. Find another source, cut back on services. Sorry, the arts are already taking a major hit in the marketplace. Donations are down, attendance is down. I work for a Theatre. I know what I'm talking about.
Helen Gundlach
503.223.9042
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The general lack of respect that artists and the arts is at the base of this. Artists are relentlessly asked to donate work to support other organizations and causes, and as a whole tend to be incredibly generous with their product, their talents, their ideas, and their labor, to contribute to a richer and more meaningful society. Taking support away from a population that already tends to creatively get by on a shoestring is especially unforgivable. Why is it the corporate tax is not reviewed? The companies that so benefit from the "livability" of this beautiful place should contribute much more. But they have lawyers and lobbyists, etc. The arts organizations and artists are an easy hit. Yes, artists and arts organizations indeed do subsidize our society. We do real work, these are real jobs, and rarely with benefits, by the way.
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As a recently retired director of an Oregon arts organization, someone with two decades of philanthropy experience and a donor to the Oregon Cultural Trust, I was very upset to learn that money for which I and others donated and received a tax deduction was taken away from the Trust for non-arts purposes. One of the first principles of philanthropic giving is that donor intent matters, which is where the ethical issues arise. I and others gave money specifically to the arts, and that agreement was breeched. I will continue to support the Trust, but I have lost a great deal of trust in those who have invaded the funds that were given in good faith for the arts.
Don Drake
Salem
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As a personal donor, I was initially quite betrayed by the legislature. As I am about to do my taxes soon, I spent some time considering whether I would donate again this year. I realized that I have always thought of my donation and the resulting tax credit was a format for me to direct my tax dollars. Ultimately the money I donate to the trust were first general fund dollars. By donating to the OCT, I was directly spending my tax dollars.
Even if the legislature again takes funds from the OCT, I will have helped the arts community by making the matching donations required directly to them. Half the money I spend is mine and half was the government's anyway.
I will continue to maintain my level of giving. -
At a time when arts groups around the state are in a survival mode the Legislature has the audacity to rob money from the Cultural Trust fund. One of the reasons I've paid the extra fees for my license plates is due to the fact that Oregon rates 49th in the nation in supporting the arts. The other reason is my love for all the arts.
Since moving to Oregon in 2000 I've had little reason to trust the state legislature to provide strong leadership and with this action I now have none.
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Word.
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Maybe the arts are out of money because idiot city and state officials (Sam Adams and Randy Leonard, I'm looking in you're direction) would rather dump money into boondoggles like the Tram and (currently proposed) 86 Million on MLS instead of adequately funding vital social services; arts included.
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I'm working harder than ever. It feels like a time when you can't half ass anything. So for art shows, toy releases, or anything related, anything i do I put all my energy into. I also turn off the radio when they talk talk about stocks. There is just too much news right now everywhere you turn. i think it perpetuates the current negetive vibe.
Best.
Bwana Spoons
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Hello,
This is not the first time the State has taken funds from special accounts and put it in the general fund. They did the same thing to the Oregon Dept of Veterans affairs back in the 1950's and at the time they promised to pay the money back with interest.
Nothing happened until the last major resession in the 80's. at that time the Dept of Veterans affairs was on the verge of going broke because Vet's were out of work and could not make there mortgage payments, just like what's happening on a national scaled now. Only then did the debt become public and the Veterans dept had to sue the State of Oregon to get the money back, by then the debt was about a 100 million dollars. The State never did pay the whole amount back. You should talk to Bill Lunch about that whole stinkin affair.
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I am a self-employed photographer and graphic artist. During this difficult time, many of my clients have tightened their expenditure budgets, and I have certainly noticed the difference. I think the keys for artists in this economy are to:
1. Be better businesspeople. Artists' weaknesses are often that they aren't business-savvy. Now is a perfect time to ramp up your business through smart marketing and promotion (this doesn't have to cost much money at all). Also, finding ways to be more efficient in your projects, thus increasing your bottom line on each project.
2. Improve your skill set. To be more competitive, we are required to always improve our skills in our field. With the extra time we have from a slow economy, we have an opportunity to grow as artists. You can take some time to attend art gatherings to network, research a different style of art, or teach yourself a new skill like Flash animation or videography.
K.R. Newell
www.keengraphics.net
www.plateauphotography.net -
Bingo. If any group is to survive difficult times, it must have the skills and tools to do so. Depend too much on the status quo and you are damned. The arts fundementally keep things fresh. Good artists challenge the accepted norms. Good artists will survive this economic storm if they are able to shake off the obsolete ways that are holding them down now. Perhaps government funded projects are now obsolete. Great show on a public funded program. I hope my donation does not fall in the hands of a private oldies radio station.
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The Oregon Cultural Trust was established by the Oregon Legislature in 2001. Its purpose is to provide a sustainable funding source for Oregon culture: the humanities, heritage and the arts. It is funded through donations, which are linked to a tax credit, and through revenue derived from the sale of "cultural" license plates. The revenue from the cultural license plate is dedicated to the trust, much as the revenue from the salmon plate is dedicated to salmon and watershed preservation.
In tough economic times, there is a universal expectation for budgets to tighten, and anticipation of having to do more work with fewer resources. There is not, however, an expectation of having to return revenue that has already been earned and allocated. This is, however, precisely what the legislature is contemplating for the cultural license plate. In one bill under consideration, revenues from the cultural plate, going back to 2003, with interest, would be taken from the Oregon Cultural Trust and diverted to the general fund.
When I bought my cultural license plates in 2005, I chose to tax myself voluntarily in order to support the cultural heritage of my state. I did not pay extra for my license plate to give it unconditionally to the legislature. The program was presented to me as a dedicated income stream for a specific purpose, and I was willing to give money to that purpose.
Suppose I had made a donation to a private charity for a specific purpose; for example, to a community center to buy new large print books for their reading room. If that community center were then to take my money and use it to pay the janitor, they would be in dereliction of their fiscal duty, and subject to prosecution. It would be considered a misuse of funds, and it is against the law.
The legislature’s proposal to redirect retroactively funds raised specifically for the Cultural Trust seems to me to be equally suspect.
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Gerald Howard's comment below really pin points the problem with taking funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust, he says, take the money and run, and use it to "provide REAL services to citizens." The idea of the trust being, of course, that the arts are indeed a real service for citizens and human beings, whether they like it or not. The idea of a cultural trust is that our state government made the tiniest concession back in 2002, whispering that "what you do is important," and by the establishment of the trust, slight as the support may comparably be, the state government came out and admitted that the arts are NOT a luxury, the arts are not superfluous, but they are a necessity of our civilization. Thomas More wrote in Utopia that there are some things that are good for their own sake, of which art, and music, and reading, and writing are all included. They are an absolutely essential factor of our society, and the very idea of the trust is that this money is dedicated to a certain and important purpose.
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The Cultural Trust supports culture throughout the state, not just the arts. For example, the library in Hood River, which is open at 8 am and serves as a meeting place for the entire community, and the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, both, I believe have received past support from the Trust.
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Sales Tax! If we could make money of tourism then there would not be such a shortfall. Time for Oregon to enter the 20th century.
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Good luck with that, but you're right.
Ashland instituted a 5% tax only on meals in restaurants back in the 90's, to the outcry of many who said it would discourage tourism (their main industry and source of income). As you can see, Ashland crumbled into its foundation and was never heard from again. No, wait - it had no effect whatsoever on the number of tourists but it did increase revenue for the city.
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The 1.8 million is a fund rebalance within the Arts Commission -
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I don't think that anything has me irritated so much as this confiscatory act on the part of the legislature. Where's the "trust" part? I will make a point of no longer "trusting" my donation through this alleged trust.
It should be obvious to decsion makers that the additional effort made by citizens to make these contributions for a specific purpose should not be voided and re-allocated by capricious legislative action. I wonder if there isn't a legal path available, say "breach of trust.
MW
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You gave money to the State of Oregon. A Voluntary TAX.
You are outraged that the state "used" the money?
Do you really trust your government? Do you still?
They need your money so that they can spend it the way they see fit because they are much smarter then you!
Me? I just buy the Art, a far better value!
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I like art and I actually support it in several ways. But at the same time I don't romanticize what art is in the way so many do. People turn art into religion or try to elevate it as nourishment for the human. There is indeed so much entitlement in the arts that it is repulsive. So many artists or people in the community view themselves as evangelicals, like they are saving the world through their egotistical works. Fine art in general is over-rated, it is almost viewed as sacred. Why? Because it has no function. Fields of design which are equally as important to 'art' don't seem to have the same cachet----because they have function. For many function takes away this 'mystery' that many need in order to romanticize aesthetics. In many ways the whole concept of art in general is dated and traditional----almost as egregious as religion.
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You're right Mr. Toohey. The last thing we want in our society are people pushing the boundries of what is thought possible.
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It is not about: "pushing the boundaries of what is thought possible?" In all areas of thought you can 'push the boundaries.' You can be cutting edge and creative in all sorts of fields and aspects of life, that are a lot less 'look at me', then art so often is. This reverence for art is dated and archaic and does not push the boundaries. I don't need the alleged 'spiritual' nourishment of art, which is ridiculous, and as offensive to me as religion. It is ironic that so many artists are supposedly liberal and fight for the rights of scientists to triumph over religion (in certain areas)---then the same individuals advocate for art because of spiritual nourishment. Yuck.
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Great - remove all art from your daily life and see how you like life without it - oh, I forgot, you can't, because art and design is everywhere for your enjoyment, most the time for free. Quit freeloadin'.
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Grace (Really?),
I have no idea what you are suggesting, especially based on my comments. I like art and as I said I support it, and as a matter of fact have given substantial amounts to do so, not that that means anything. I also said I value design as much as art, if not more so. I know it is easy to jump to conclusions that if someone has something critical to say about art then they must not 'get it' or they are one of 'those people.' I have incredibly high expectations, and I don't expect to be sold the same snake oil that zealots are selling from artists or the art community. Art is important because I enjoy it, it is not spiritual (nothing is) nor is it a panacea that will save or has saved humanity. It deserves respect but no more so then many other fields or things. -
I suspect Grace was responding to the obvious bitterness you have towards what you consider the arts and artists to be. Or are you equally as opinionated and vitriolic about those other non "art" areas you refer to? I have found egotistical people in just about every field. Sometimes egotistical looks like someone with no experience in an area spouting off their opinion about what's good and bad about that area and insisting that they support the "good" version.
And by the way, its a CULTURAL trust, which includes more than what you are referring to as "art", but maybe you think culture is an overrated commodity too (except in yogurt). Who wants a bunch of old buildings, reading material, and historical perspective when obviously your life is so much worthier.
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"It (art) deserves respect but no more so then many other fields or things. "
Exactly. And yet arts and culture is the one they chose to take money from first (as usually happens). Laying aside the outright embezzlement of taking money donated for a specific reason and using it for something else, how would you feel about them taking the money from the local workers union or the AMA or just take a cut from the salary of all engineers? Better yet, lets take the social security money that most employed people have taken out of their pay and use that to balance the budget (at least for this year, screw the future).
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rickinnopo,
I am vitriolic towards everything. There is no evidence to suggest one should be otherwise.It is funny that you can't really discuss art anymore then you can discuss anything else without being labeled instantly one way or the other---I guess that is the American way. As I said I am pretty well versed in the arts in general, I just got back from the New Museum and MADD as a matter-of-fact---a trip of choice. I am sick of hearing about the plight of the artist and yes over most fields I think art is one of the more egotistical. I think 'the arts' should be supported and don't agree with taking funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust. But I also think 'the arts' need to stop being such a sacred cow, that certain contingents worship to the level of zealots, it is embarrassing for modern thinking creatures to do so.
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i gave the money to the trust to specifically support the arts in this tough time. i'm outraged that they've taken money out of this fund for use in the general fund. this feels like quite a bait and switch and i doubt that i'll give to the cultural trust again.
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My main issues with this happening are; the precedent that this sets by the legislature that it is okay to take money from the culture trust when they need it, the statement made by this act by the legislature that “the arts” are expendable, and the belief that only artists are affected by taking money away from the arts.
I work for what could be termed an art supply manufacture, and the livelihood of the people that work there depends on artists needing the materials. If we continue to cut funding for the arts or stop supporting the arts, they will stop buying materials. That leads directly to job loss in our community.
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Is the State Stealing Our (Arts) License Plates?
I thought it was thieves who made license plates! The Legislature is eyeing the Oregon Cultural Trust as a piggy bank for other purposes. This money was generated by donations and Arts license plate fees — plus interest. The idea was to give the arts stable funding, in good times and bad. Bad times are here, and they want to go back on the deal.Just when we had finally moved up from the bottom three states in per capita arts funding -- three whole slots.
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On the surface, stripping the arts budget may seem to make sense. In fact, it would be amputating a vital part of our economy, as well as betraying public trust — literally.And we are discussing spending money on professional sports teams? Even opera houses are better civic economic investments than stadiums. Public art makes local people more money, as art-goers spend in shops and restaurants. Consider the dead zone that is the Rose Quarter – then think of the lively area around the Schnitz.
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Artists, and art organizations, live very close to the edge. Money going to them goes immediately into the local economy for jobs, materials, services and rentals. They employ not only artists, but folks such as printers, accountants, janitors, and carpenters. There are few industries that spread their spending so quickly, or so broadly.
- Katja Biesanz, MA
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The Cultural Trust was created to grow and stabilize funding for culture. To grab these fees is a violation of trust with the buyers of the plates, the very purpose of the Trust, and the intent of the Trust's thousands of donors.
The arts aren't a frill, but a vital part of our lives. We need not only the trust, but all 56 cents per person that the legislature now appropriates
. It will hurt us to lose any of our artists or arts organizations, especially to states that have more sense, or more honor.
- Katja Biesanz
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Avoiding the use of rainy day funds and program cuts seems to be the prime directive of the budget process. A half a million in paint,chisel, etc. ready arts and culture projects could be funded in year one of the next bi-ennium. More stimulus less doom. Nothing but cuts and scrimping does not engender a belief that the " sun will come out tomorrow".
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In the Great Depression, artists and artisans were recognized as workers, too. Artists need to buy food as much as road builders.
The WPA hired artists and artisans to do public murals (I bet the post office mural on 7th in PDX is WPA art), illustrate history, make recordings of disappearing songs and musicians, pass on skills to others - making places like Timberline. We still benefit from this legacy.
New York City became the center of the art world rather than Paris part because the US had a bunch of artists who finally could afford to be artists full time. As the general economy improved, they were able to keep writing and painting and taking photographs.
This cultural shift is an overlooked aspect of our country's rise. It had positive economic consequences that last to this day.
- Katja
- Katja
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to be sure, these are "hard times".....for everyone. And, of course, we Oregonians, for the 38 years I've lived here, refuse to develop a three-legged tax system...so, even in good times, we're on the edge and, in the bad times.....good luck. then, of course, we've developed the ultimate "other guy" tax; the lottery and video poker to bilk addicted gamblers of their paychecks so we don't have to pay taxes.
Now, the Legislature wants to use a "bait and switch" approach to Cultural Trust moneys. Clearly, the donors earmarked their donations to the trust, not to the general fund. It is not a question of "legality"....big deal, they can do it without violating any laws. How about ethics and morality....if someone donates money for a specified purpose and fund, that's what it should be used for. I have no problem with charging the trust for public moneys used to process donations...but to simply raid the fund for other purposes violates public trust (pun intended).
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If I am an art supporter or not I do live by the motto " Say what you are going to do and then do it"
The raiding of the art trust is inexcusable.
The raiding of ANY designated trust is inexcusable.
I do not post to debate the worth of art but the worth of your word. Bringing up the "hungry child" card was a cheap shot. Shame on you. Hungry? call me I'll share. Hungry? and steal from me...? a completely different story. Thinking "the state" is the only resourse for people in need is short sighted as well as being ....well,not true. People have been helping people long before "the state"
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I attend about 3 performing art events a year - a mix of dance, theater and music. I had heard of the Cultural Trust but never really understood it. Now I will look for opportunities to donate to it because I understand the reason for it and what it does.
Everyone I heard on the program was understandably entrenched in their own POV. But for me - I want to look at the long term, plan for success and support such a cool idea. Thanks for giving the program exposure.
Cheryl
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If art were merely a superficial indulgence and decoration then a period of economic recession would do away with it.
If art was to be only an undergraduate degree for people who can't stomach business administration, then it would have disappeared some time ago.
Though there are numerous examples of art being both of these, the value of art as symbolic language cannot be measured financially. Art itself can be a form of expression rather than a spectator's commodity and it is a tool to self improvement and an understanding of the human condition. Art helps us question and peer deeper to the meaning of things, and, as such, is invaluable to a democratic society.
Art distinguishes culture from mob. Art, like science and physical education, inspires innovation. Without it I fear social degeneration akin to a medieval thinking, where creative talent is spent defending such nonsense as the authenticity of the Bible. Without creative arts the individual has only the yoke of conservatism to look forward to and the sting of a master's whip.
Art, I believe, sheds light on dark times. The photo documentary of Dorothea Lang is a perfect example of artistic pursuits assuring society of its dignity and its worth, as well as warn against injustice.
Because the government endows art projects and taxes help pay for art curriculum, it is especially important in a recession to distinguish creative art from the decorative. Unfortunately, this is blurred by subjectivity. One person's trash is another's beauty.
What I do hope for is coming out of the recession better off. Not necessarily more wealthy, but with a better character. If we take a better look at valuing art, perhaps we can all come out of this with a better social value -- and our cultural icons will be more articulate than Paris Hilton or George Bush.