EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
The magazine's third annual
arts issue examines shifts in funding
by Peggy Boyer Long
Illinois arts advocates have reason to celebrate. At least for now.
There's no question the '90s were a tough time for the arts, financially and politically. But at the tail end of the decade, support — and the cash to back it up — has finally begun to flow to this state's arts organizations.
The magazine's editors and writers decided to examine why that is. We discovered — no surprise — that an improving economy has helped boost arts funding across the board. With more cash in hand, funders naturally are feeling more generous.
But we also uncovered some surprising changes in the way arts organizations are approaching funders, public and private. They are, as one advocate says, choosing to appeal to enlightened self-interest.
The story begins with the federal battle over funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. Over the past four years, Congress has grappled with defining art and delineating the public's responsibility in paying for it.
For the time being, the federal arts agency has survived efforts to slash, even eliminate, its budget. But Illinois arts organizations took note. They say the struggle offered them some lessons, and increasingly, they have begun to shape their message around what they believe funders want to hear.
"We stay away from stepping on flags as art," says one fund-seeker.
More to the point, though, artists have begun to sound like politicians as they spread the message that art makes good economic sense. And local and state officials are listening.
This is the magazine's third annual arts issue. And the most satisfying to put together. Our cover story, "The dance for dollars," beginning on page 16, was researched and written by Illinois Issues' two newest staff additions: projects editor Maureen Foertsch McKinney and Statehouse bureau chief Burney Simpson. They got invaluable help from our new graduate assistant Rosalie Warren.
And they faced no small task. We asked them to track down, then analyze, public and private contributions to the arts during the last decade.
Among their findings:
• State funding took a dive at the
beginning of the decade as the Illinois
economy weakened. That funding rose
again over the past couple of years,
and reached an all-time high this fiscal
year at $10.6 million.
• In the past couple of years, lawmakers have begun to see the arts as another form of pork. Last fiscal year, they appropriated $6.3 million for arts-related projects in their districts. This year, they appropriated another $6.1 million.
• Foundation funding — both private and corporate — has remained relatively steady throughout the decade. And that giving is substantial.
But what is most heartening is that the arts still rely mostly on patrons, those who attend exhibits, buy season tickets or write contribution checks.
So how are arts organizations faring in this new environment? We asked two of our former Statehouse bureau chiefs to examine the survival strategies of local arts groups.
Jennifer Davis took a closer look at the Peoria Ballet company, while Jennifer Halperin checked in with Chicago's Live Bait theater. Both found that creativity isn't enough. Arts organizations need to manage their resources and market their work.
Davis' story about Peoria Ballet's struggle to professionalize begins on page 24. Halperin's article about Live Bait's efforts to find new ways to raise funds begins on page 26.
We asked artists for their perspective, too. And writer Elise Zwicky discovered that, despite the struggle for money and for places to show their work, many artists find the Prairie State a pretty good place to be. Her report begins on page 28.
Then, just for fun, we asked essayist Dan Guillory to explore popular art. The result, beginning on page 32, is an analysis of what he calls Unfunded Art. The state's landscape, he notes, has become populated with mattesilhouettes. We'll let him suggest what we are to make of these anonymous artists and their work.
6 / December 1998 Illinois Issues