Dear Trump: Why Funding the Arts and Public Broadcasting Matters
Wednesday, March 01, 2017
For the past few days, I've attempted, unsuccessfully, to write this article.
Generally, I'm never at a loss for words. But, this subject is very dear and personal to me. I was fortunate to grow up with music. My Mom was a public school music teacher and my Dad played a host of instruments. From a very young age, music permeated my life and influenced my life choices. From Chopin etudes to Hendrix at Woodstock, I absorbed it all. Besides the birth of my two children, each of my most cherished moments in life has involved music. I graduated from UMass with a music degree, performed with Dave Brubeck, toured the US, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea... anyway, I'm reminiscing.
The point is that music brought me there. Music made a difference.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThere is a correlation between the progress of a society and progress in the arts. Every great society in human history has been accompanied by advances in the arts. The age of Pericles was also the age of Phidias. The age of Lorenzo de Medici was also the age of Leonardo da Vinci. The age of Elizabeth was the age of Shakespeare.
My government, has spent over $245 billion bailing out banks and financial institutions. The National Science Foundation’s annual budget is $7 billion dollars. Just yesterday, my President announced that there will be a whopping 54 billion dollar increase in defense spending. Currently the US spends around 41 cents per citizen on federally funded programs for the arts. The National Endowment for the Arts and related federal programs amount to around .05% of the federal budget. The 150 million dollar budget of the NEA in 2016 is roughly equal to the arts budget of Sweden. The UK spent 772 million on the arts last year, Germany spent 1.3 billion, and France dedicated 10 billion dollars of their budget to the arts.
Now, President Trump plans to defund the NEA. Apparently, the 150 million yearly budget is a bridge too far. It makes sense, right? After all, those with true talent don't need a handout. Why should the federal government waste money on the arts?
I'll start with the hard data. Research shows art and music studies close the gap between high and low income students and not only improves numerical skills but promote creativity and social development. PBS programming has inspired generations of children and continues to play a pivotal role in the artistic and social development of American children. Plus, art and music is fun. It's inspiring. It's uplifting. And, it says a lot about who we are as a society.
The National Endowment for the Arts traces back to FDR's New Deal initiatives. Originally, arts and music were part of Roosevelt's most succesful New Deal program the WPA (Works Progress Administration). The WPA employed musicians, artists, writers, actors and directors in large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects. Arthur Miller wrote "The Crucible" and "Death of a Salesman" while Dean of the New York Federal Theatre Project, a WPA program.
Many conservative Republicans have been critical of the NEA and it's expenditures, often citing specific examples of art project they find objectionable that have received funding. Honestly, I find it absurb that taxpayers shouldn't be asked to pay for anything of which they disapprove. Many people don't like ICBMs.
As expected, I have ventured off topic. Anyway, it's my sincere hope that in between his, taxpayer funded, 5 million dollar trips to Mar-a-lago and considering the 300 million we've been asked to pay so Barron can finish up the school year in New York, that the President will reconsider his position on NEA funding.
Jim Wright is the National Director of Catch a Rising Star Comedy Clubs. He lives in Providence.
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