Reflections on the Fortunes of the Arts Councils

When I read that the Kansas Arts Commission had bit the dust last month, the news sent me into a swirl of memories and thoughts about the purpose of the arts and how to support them...

Attracted to the Arts, A Memoir
I was first attracted to the arts, particularly theatre, in high school.  I had been in various choirs at church and in school and I enjoyed the feeling of ensemble that came from working together to create a program.  We worked on challenging material, stuff by Handel and Bach.  Every Christmas we would perform at the Bear Valley Shopping Center and in the lobby of the Brown Palace, and various places around town.

Then one night as a high school outing a bunch of us went to see “Luther” by John Osborne at the Denver Auditorium.  I was spellbound.  Even though by then I had been in a couple of plays at school I had never seen a live, professional production.  “Luther” is not a very fancy show.  There is no chandelier, no giant plant, no explosions.  There isn’t even a sword fight or a dance number.  It’s a “talking play.”  All of the action unfolds through dialogue.  It’s the story of a whistle blower wrestling with his conscience and huge pressure from his “superiors,” which includes not only losing his job but also the threat of eternal damnation.  So the stakes are pretty high.  But, even so, it’s a lot of talking. The audience stayed with it all the way through and at the end there was  robust, appreciative applause. I can’t say that the production changed my life.  I already had a fondness for the theatre, but that memory has informed my work in the arts to this day.  Artistic projects can be about important things and a good story well told will keep people’s attention.

I’m not sure how this play came to be done in Denver.  It was a touring production, probably the Broadway cast taking it around the country after the Broadway run had closed.  It was a new play at the time, written in ‘61 and I saw it probably in ‘66 or so. There have always been touring shows.  Companies from the East brought shows of one kind or another to the mining camps and small towns of the Old West.  The “Carpa” or tent shows regularly came through the Southwest from Mexico.  So I’m sure there was some “connector” between Denver and Broadway long before the 1960s. I’m sure this show came to town without arts council support.

Congress Authorizes NEA
It was about this same time - mid ‘60s - that Congress authorized the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as an “independent” government agency.  Independent so that it could support things that “the government” might not approve of or have so much political trouble about that the project would get passed over in favor of something “more appropriate.” The early days of the NEA in the West were about subsidizing professional companies from out of state, usually the East Coast, to perform in under-served areas.  Pueblo had a “Best of Broadway” series for many years that had NEA funding.  Columbia Artist Management set up a system called “Community Concerts” that brought classical artists to really small towns in the West.  There are still communities that have series called “Community Concerts” even though they are no longer booked through Columbia.

Funding from the NEA came to each state through the state’s art council.  State arts councils were set up individually through legislation in each state and were eligible for NEA funds if they met certain criteria.  States set up arts councils right away.  It was an era when “culture” was considered important.  Having ballet, symphonic music, opera, painting, and sculpture meant your community had “the finer things” and showed maturity.  Your town was more than just a rough outpost in the nation’s developing expansion.

Some states like California, New York, and Utah had thriving, active arts councils.  Others had limp, barely  visible agencies.  Colorado started off strong.  John Love was governor and his wife Ann was a lover of the arts and was active throughout her life supporting the arts and historic preservation.  Since then the Colorado Council on the Arts has struggled for adequate funding and even for a clear focus on mission.  It has gone from being a division of the Department of Education, to being part of the Tourism Office, to the Office of Economic Development, and is now part of Colorado Creative Industries.  On their website the word “artist” is giving way to the term “creatives” and the point is not to bring the finer things to the state, but to develop the workforce and enhance tourism. This is a recent move, so it remains to be seen how this new focus will play out for the actual grant making.

Kansas Arts Commission
As I became an arts professional in the 1980s, one of my favorite arts agencies was the Kansas Arts Commission, because they had really cool programs that developed interest and understanding in the arts and also supported working artists.  One program I really respected was their Poetry in the Schools program.  I knew a poet who was selected for an Arts Commission project where he was paid for twenty hours a week: Ten hours a week teaching poetry in an elementary school and was expected to use the remaining ten to write poems.  The kids had an actual poet for a teacher and not some guy who fought his way through Ezra Pound for a semester in teacher’s college and the poet had the stimulation of teaching as he wrote.  And the subsidy!

As of May 31, 2011 Kansas is the only state or territory of the US without an arts council. Their governor axed the commission budget with a line-item veto. He says private donations should fund the arts, not the .005 percent of the state’s 13.8 billion dollar budget that the citizens contribute in taxes for the Kansas Arts Commission. The state will lose any NEA matching funds in the process.  The Arts Commission website now has this on its home page: “KAC Meeting Thursday, June 16, 2011 Meeting as be (sic) canceled until further notice.” Looks like the governor wrote it himself.     For the story in more detail story click this link:
http://www.pitch.com/2011-06-09/music/kansas-arts-commission-sam-brownback/2/

Post Arts Council America?
Have arts councils lived their useful life? Most artists and organizations are funded by private donations or entrepreneurial enterprises anyway.  In spite of the NEA and the arts councils being “independent,” nothing very cutting edge gets funded through them. Think of all the time we spent on two decades of “advocacy” to get the funding levels raised for the Colorado Council only to have it turned over to a “creative” to write “You won’t believe how high you can get in Colorado!” or some such, to promote tourism in the state. Doesn’t it seem like our time would have been better spent working together educating the public directly and creating demand?

It’s not too late to try that.  It has always been a focus of the Colorado Performing Arts Jamboree to bring artists and presenters together to develop programming based on what they both know about the audiences of our state. As both groups pursue their professional development, artists of the state will be more talented and presenters more astute about their communities’ tastes and needs and the programming offered can be more adventurous.  A desire for culture is what brought the arts councils into existence in the first place. I’m certain the public still has that desire.  As that desire is fed and grows among the residents of the state renewed public support will emerge.

The story’s not over in Kansas, either.  When the governor tried axing the Arts Commission through the legislature, the move failed.  It remains to be seen what will happen when the citizens of Kansas pick up the axe.
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Mark your calendars for Colorado Performing Arts Jamboree 2012.  We are back at Jeffco Fairgrounds again, January 20, 2012, 9-3:00.  For an event summary of Jamboree 2011 with photos click on this link:  http://venturewest.biz/Jamb_11_Demograph.html

If you don’t have the new Guide to Colorado Performers released at Jamboree 2011, you can still get one! Send me an email for details or click here where you can also see sample pages from the Guide. http://venturewest.biz/Guide.html

Tips for Buyers

How to Maximize Your Day at the Colorado Performing Arts Jamboree

Spending a day at the Colorado Performing Arts Jamboree (January 21, 2011 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds) is an efficient, fun, and highly effective way to discover new acts for your performance series or events. Where else can you talk one-on-one with more than 100 performers and groups, gather promotional material, and watch nine live performance Showcases—all for a modest $27 per buyer ($65 for a group)?

Register to Attend

But to really take advantage of this opportunity, it’s best to put a little thought into your approach. The following tips are based on our own experience and that of talent buyers who come to the Jamboree year after year.

Before You Go

• A few days before the Jamboree, go online to and look at the list of Exhibitors, the Showcase Schedule, and the profiles of the Showcasers on our website. Get an idea of exhibitors you want to talk to and Showcase performances you specifically want to see, and plan to be there for those performances. With only nine showcase slots of 15 minutes each, they go quickly. (TIP: The Showcase area is in a corner of the exhibit hall, not in a separate room.)
• Have a general idea of the kinds of acts that work well for you, but be available for delightful surprises that could shake it up a bit and tickle your audiences.
• Make sure you have plenty of business cards. Many artists won’t give you their promotional material unless you give them a card in return, showing them who you are and what performing series / presenting entity you are affiliated with. (Be prepared to let artists know how you would like to be contacted. If you prefer not to receive promotional emails, just cross out your email address or ask them not to add you to their list.)
• Get plenty of sleep the night before, pack a water bottle to stay well hydrated throughout the day, and dress for comfort. Wear comfy shoes and carry a purse or backpack that leaves your hands free. Although the Jamboree is fun, it can be exhausting; you’ll probably be on your feet most of the day and talk a great deal. TIP: There is an on-site café offering breakfast items, snacks and a full lunch for purchase. There are tables and chairs in the café as well as seating in the Showcase area.

At the Jamboree

• The Jamboree is a six-hour event. Even if you don’t need that much time, we recommend arriving on the early end so that you can see all the Showcase performances that you want to see. Also, it’s nice to catch exhibitors while they’re relatively fresh, before they’ve explained themselves to 50 other buyers.
• Check in and get your copy of the Guide to Colorado Performers and the Exhibitor Locator Map/Showcase Schedule, along with your badge and goodie bag.
• Best way to walk the hall? Here’s where our experts differ. Some recommend simply walking the hall. Other say you should take a preliminary walk through the exhibit hall, making note of any acts you particularly want to go back and talk to. Other buyers prefer to grab a cup of coffee or tea, sit down, see who’s at the event, and make notes on the exhibitor map to remind you of performers you want to talk to.
• If you come with a group of buyers, you can “divide and conquer,” assigning one section of the exhibit hall to each person, knowing that Kathy, the children’s performance buyer, will also keep an eye out and pick up literature that would be of interest for Henry, the cultural events guy. Some buyer groups do a preliminary foray before lunch, then convene at lunch, share notes, and then take their colleagues back to talk to particularly promising acts.
• Whichever approach you choose, when you walk the exhibit hall (or your assigned portion of it), simply choose one end and walk straight through to the other end, speaking briefly with each exhibitor unless they are clearly not a match to what you’re looking for. Don’t be shy about talking to the artists (or helping yourself to their candy or treats, even if you’re not a potential buyer for them!). Our artists are a casual and friendly group and they appreciate talent buyers—even those who don’t individually benefit them.
• Collect literature, promotional demos, ask questions, take notes. As mentioned above, be prepared to let the artists know how you like to be contacted.
• And make sure to be in the Showcase area to see the performers you particularly want to see. (The Showcase area is also a great place to sit down anytime you just need a rest.)

After the Jamboree

Back at the office, it’s easy to get swept into the other demands of your job and to let that pile of promo you collected sit and gather dust. Instead, carve out a little time a day or two after the Jamboree to:

• Make notes of any performers you would like to contact, and for which events; put this information in your calendar, task list, tickler file, or whatever system you use to get things done
• Pull out any CDs or DVDs that you are eager to review and put them in your stack of material to review
• Pass on to your colleagues any material you gathered for them or would like them to review
• File the information you don’t need now but will need later
• Discard the information you don’t need

Finally, put your Guide to Colorado Performers up on your shelf for easy reference over the next two years.

Sit back, put your feet up, and congratulate yourself on a well-thought-out, well-executed day at the Jamboree that will pay dividends through great future performances for your audience.

Presented by Jim Schwartzkopff • Venture West (venturewest.biz) • 303-329-6242

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