Governors Look to Arts, Culture and Design to Create Economic Growth

With concerns over job creation and business growth holding a prominent—and persistent—position on policy agendas today, governors are increasingly finding innovative ways to support economic growth, according to a new report out today from the National Governors Association (NGA).

New Engines of Growth: Five Roles for Arts, Culture, and Design focuses on the role that arts, culture and design can play in governors’ policies to create jobs and boost their economies in the short run and transition to an innovation-based economy in the long run.

U.S. Department of Education released a study entitled Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools 1999-2000 and 2009-10. This study was previously published in 2002 and highlights the impact that the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has had on arts education.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan stated, “despite the importance of providing equal educational opportunities in the arts, today’s report shows we are falling well short of that goal.”

From the Department’s announcement of the study we learned that:

• 1.3 million of our nation’s public elementary school students receive no specific instruction in music, and nearly 4 million students receive no specific instruction in the visual arts.

• 800,000 public secondary school students do not receive music, and 11 percent of secondary schools do not provide the visual arts.

• Only 3 percent of elementary schools offer any specific dance instruction and only 4 percent offer any specific theater instruction. In secondary schools, the numbers improve somewhat as 12 percent offer dance and 45 percent offer theater.

The most heartbreaking finding in the study shows that the nation’s poorest students, the ones who could benefit the most from arts education, are receiving it the least. A decade ago, the data showed that 100 percent of high poverty schools offered music instruction, but currently, only 80 percent offer music instruction. The percentage offering visual arts, dance, and theater is even lower. In his remarks, Secretary Duncan called the disparity between high-poverty and low-poverty schools “deeply disturbing” and “absolutely an equity issue and a civil rights issue.”

Download the report here http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012014.pdf

Appropriations Committee Releases Budget

The Appropriations Committee’s Budget includes full restoration of Arts & Culture line item Grants, which were previously reduced or eliminated in the Governor’s Budget. The Committee combines the two grant accounts, Basic Cultural Resources and Culture, Tourism, and Arts grants into one with funding of $2,000,000 (a total reduction of about $1 million). The Committee’s budget does include a reduction to the Statewide Marketing line item, of $12,289,982 (approximately 50%). In addition, the Committee recommends the transfer of funds for the Connecticut Humanities Council, from the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) to the Connecticut State Library (total transfer of $2,272,633).

Governor Malloy’s Budget Trims Arts Funding

On February 8, 2012 Governor Malloy released his FY13 proposed budget.

The Governor has recommended cutting by 8% the Arts, Culture Tourism and Marketing grants “to achieve efficiency through competitive procurement” for a total reduction of $2,356,311. The second significant change proposed is to eliminate all individual accounts for discrete arts & culture organizations and the two grant accounts (Basic Cultural Resources and Culture, Tourism, and Arts grants) and transfers the funding into a “Statewide Marketing” account funded at $25,039,982. This reflects an increase of $10,039,981 added to the pre-existing $15 million.

CAA Board members testified at the Appropriations Conservation and Development Subcommittee Hearing on February 15th.

Connecticut Arts Alliance Position on the proposed budget:

1. The $14 million in arts culture funding (as originally allocated in the bienniale budget) needs to be segregated from Statewide Marketing. We advocate return to the approved FY12-13 budget breakdowns.

2. In July, the Commission on Culture and Tourism was moved into DECD. Under Economic and Community Development, the Office of the Arts has defined a new direction, with the arts at the heart of an economic development strategy to create vibrant communities that will attract new talent and businesses. To build this strategy, arts organizations need financial resources.

3. To qualify for National Endowment for the Arts funding, Connecticut must have dedicated funding for the arts, a designated arts agency and an independent arts commission. The proposed budget puts this funding in jeopardy.

4. Arts and culture events and institutions are the key attractions for visitors. The state must invest in these institutions. Without strong, healthy cultural institutions, there will be nothing to market.

ARTS FUNDING MAINTAINED IN NEW STATE BUDGET

The state’s 2012-2013 budget was approved by the Senate early in the morning on May 4, 2011 and signed into law by the governor later that day. Although the consolidation of the Commission on Culture and Tourism into the Department of Community and Economic Development will become reality, the Commission on Culture and Tourism’s two grant budgets survived the 21% cuts proposed by Governor Malloy.

FY11 
Culture, Tourism and the Arts    1,879,708
Basic Cultural Resources             1,398,750

FY12-13
Culture, Tourism and the Arts    1,979,165
Basic Cultural Resources            1,601,204

Note: The adopted budget relies upon $2 billion in labor concessions the governor is currently negotiating.

Please thank your senators and representatives for their support.

The Government Administration and Elections Committee approved a bill (SB 148)  with new language that SUSPENDS  rather than terminates the state’s percent for art program.  The new bill calls for a two year suspension of the requirement that the State Bond Commission allocate one per cent of the state building project cost for the purchase of artwork.

National Association of State Arts Agencies’ Report on State Arts Funding FY11

http://www.nasaa-arts.org/Research/Funding/State-Budget-Center/FY11PressRelease.pdf

State arts agencies across the country are facing funding challenges, some struggling to survive amid unprecedented state budget deficits. Read more here.

Over 1300 arts advocates signed the following petition submitted to Governor Dannel Malloy on February 15, 2011

Dear Governor Malloy,

As mayor of Stamford, you experienced firsthand what a thriving arts community means for the economic well-being of a city — and your support made the difference. We urge you as governor to do the same for Connecticut!

Please reinforce the message that a creative economy ensures jobs, financial security and cultural vitality. You heard us when the CT Arts Alliance met with you at the Bushnell before the election. Please hear us now. Don’t let our state miss the opportunity to leverage the arts for a better economy and a more vibrant place to live and work:

• Over 22 million people per year experience CT’s arts and cultural attractions.

• Arts = Jobs: 10,296 arts-related businesses provide over 37,000 jobs directly.

• The arts generate over $3.8 billion in direct gross state product annually, including $2.6 billion in personal income.

We urge you to consider the recommendations made in the CT Arts Alliance Platform and the Addendum on Arts and Culture sent to your Transition Policy Committee, including:

1. Preserve and enhance state funding for the Arts

• Restore arts funding to $5 million to fund the Basic Cultural Resources grants

• Maintain annual allocations to the CT Arts Endowment Fund

• Maintain 1% for the “Art in Public Spaces” program

2. Maintain an independent National Endowment for the Arts-approved State Arts Commission

3. Appoint a Creative Economy Council (Bill 6050)

4. Use state bonding to improve and stimulate employment to benefit historic and anchor cultural facilities

We, the undersigned, affirm our support and belief that arts and culture should be viewed as a strategic cornerstone of economic development in our state.

Thank you for your continued support of one of Connecticut’s greatest resources. As pledged in the CT Arts Alliance meeting with you, arts leaders are ready to meet with you or members of your staff to provide additional input to help meet your goals of driving the economic vitality and health of the state of Connecticut.

Respectfully,
The CT Arts Alliance & Arts Advocates across Connecticut

Proposed Bill would Eliminate State’s % for Art Program

In late January, Senator Doyle of the 9th District proposed Bill 148
An Act Eliminating the Requirement for the Purchase of Artwork for State Building Projects

The bill recommends that the general statutes be amended to repeal the requirement that the State Bond Commission allocate from the proceeds of state bonds on percent of the total estimated cost of the construction, reconstruction or remodeling of a state building for the purchase of artwork.

See related story

A Case for Public Art in Connecticut

CONNECTICUT’S ART IN PUBLIC SPACES PROGRAM
Administered, by the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, the Art in Public Spaces Program Connecticut’s Art in Public Spaces program was established by the General Assembly in 1978, the Art in Public Spaces program requires that not less than 1% of the cost of construction or renovation of publicly accessible state buildings be allocated for the commission or purchase of artwork for that building. Over 300 works have been commissioned since the program’s inception. The works represent a wide variety of media, including sculpture, wall relief, environmental installation, painting, and photography; and range in scale from works on paper to monumental murals.

The purpose of the Art in Public Spaces program is to provide the citizens of Connecticut with an improved public environment by investing in creative works of high quality for public buildings. The program adds visibility to the cultural heritage of the state and its people. To date, the Connecticut program has resulted in 318 projects created by 199 artists in 61 towns. To see the towns and projects, visit http://www.cultureandtourism.org/cct/cwp/view.asp?a=2214&q=274520

The Art in Public Spaces program has employed 90 Connecticut artists. In addition to employing artists, the commissioned artist frequently contract additional employees hiring fabricators, studio assistants, structural engineers, electricians, architects, installers etc. Artists who receive commissions purchase project materials from Connecticut businesses. They buy paint, granite, glass, stone, steel, light fixtures and more.

WHAT IS PUBLIC ART?

Public art is more than just art installed in public spaces. Public art, at its best, is a mirror that reflects local environments, cultural values, and the artistic vitality of the community in which it is placed. Integrated into the design and construction of either exterior or interior projects, or created as a stand-alone objects, public art is planned and developed in response to a particular context or place and is site-specific – created for the specific conditions of the place in which it resides. Public art makes sense of communities by creating landmarks, directional elements, and defining neighborhoods and districts. Public art’s “placemaking” builds livable communities and contributes to the distinctiveness of a place.

BENEFITS OF PUBLIC ART

Public art:

• Creates jobs and stimulates business activity. Public art brings substantial economic benefits. According to the Public Art Network of Americans for the Arts, ten (10) jobs are supported by every public artwork commissioned. These include artists, designers, architects, engineers, fabricators, material suppliers, installers, and various types of assistants, to name a few. Public artworks require transportation, site preparation, lighting, landscaping, insurance, and a host of services from small businesses. The creation and installation of a public artwork is a dynamic contributor to small business development. Notable among the beneficiaries are the creative industries made up of talented workers who are self-employed artists and free-lancers or free-lancers employed by micro-enterprises.

  The maintenance and restoration of installed artworks provides an additional economic stimulus, generating business for suppliers, conservators, fabricators, artists, and others.

• Boosts cultural tourism. A Public Art Network Issue Paper published in 2004 by Americans for the Arts (AFTA) points out that “Many cities, counties, and regions have, over the years, acquired large collections of artworks in the public realm. These form part of the cultural assets that attract visitors to the region, making a significant contribution to the local economy. A diverse range of artwork in the collection by artists of regional, national, and international stature is important to establish a noteworthy collection that will serve as cultural destinations.”

• Attracts and retains creative people. According to the Public Art Network of AFTA, colleges and universities report that public artwork has a positive influence on student morale, stimulates creativity and innovation, and contributes to student learning. Public artwork attracts creative individuals and helps recruiting efforts on college campuses. The presence of art work communicates a sense of pride and a college or university’s competitive edge and helps attract and retain a creative and high-quality student body

• Enhances our public buildings and improves the quality of life for our citizens. Artwork brings public spaces to life. It improves the visual quality and appearance of public environments and buildings and contributes to the prestige of a community. Public artwork makes government buildings and public university campuses attractive places to work, live, and visit.

• Defines the identity of a place and reveals the distinct character of a community. Works of public art are symbols of the creative energy and artistic vision of a place. They express the soul of a community. Public art tells a community’s story and reminds residents and visitors of what makes a place special. A community with public works of art has invested in its identity and cultural heritage.

• Engages broad segments of a community in the acquisition of artwork. The planning, selection, and commissioning of artwork is a broad-based collaborative process that brings together facility planners, site-based administrators, artists, architects, engineers, arts professionals, and civic and community representatives. The process fosters relationships, resolves problems, and builds consensus.

• Is engaging and accessible to all. Public art is for all to experience and enjoy. It delights. It captivates. It brings us into a state of focused attention. It can inspire awe and bring out deep emotion and satisfaction. Public art opens new ways of seeing and understanding the world. Public works of art stimulate the appreciation of art by Connecticut citizens.

• Contributes to the sustainability of the built environment. Public art, in addition to being aesthetically pleasing, can have a functional purpose. When fully integrated into the site, it can incorporate sustainable features that contribute to energy conservation, water drainage, and solar conduction.

BRIEF PERCENT-FOR-ART HISTORY

The percent-for-art concept dates back to the New Deal and the U.S. Treasury Department’s Section of Painting and Sculpture established in 1934. The program set aside approximately 1 percent of the cost of federal building for “artistic adornment.” In addition to securing high-quality art for public buildings, the Section was committed to stimulating a “democratic” appreciation of art by the American people.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Works Progress Administration (changed to Works Project Administration in 1939) to employ artists and utilize their talent and skills to enhance the built environment for the benefit of the public, the economy, and artists themselves. Today twenty-seven states and over 300 municipalities legislatively allocate some portion of building costs for art acquisition.