KBIA Local
(2009-11-06)
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COLUMBIA, MO
(KBIA) -
Unless this is your first time turning on the radio, it's not news that financially, things aren't going so well nationally. In Missouri, it's no different. Every state agency has gone through its budget and pinpointed areas that can handle financial cuts or restrictions.
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In October, Governor Jay Nixon announced another round of cuts to the state budget. This round adding up to $200 million.
Among the sectors affected are humanities, arts, and history. Missouri's Department of Economic Development oversees the Arts Council, Humanities Council, Public Broadcasting, Historic Preservation, and State Library Network...all of which have seen their state budgets sliced in half.
The Department of Economic Development has experienced numerous cuts this year since state revenues have come up short. Department spokesperson John Fougere says prioritizing the state's budget involves the same balancing act we all experience- weighing wants and needs.
"In our department, we thought it was best that the divisions and programs directly responsible for job creation, job retention, and job training be as little affected as possible, considering we have so many Missourians who are currently unemployed."
Right now there are 278,000 unemployed Missourians.
Missouri's arts and cultural industry does create jobs and stimulate the economy. It employs about 5300 full time-equivilant jobs and generates more than $9 million in state revenues.
Because everyone else in the state is facing cuts, the budget restrictions came as no surprise to those involved in the arts and humanities.
Beverly Strohmeyer is the executive director of the Missouri Arts Council. It provides $8 million in grants to non-profits each year. It assists many organizations from the St. Louis Symphony to the Chillicothe Area Arts Council. She says half the Missouri Arts Council's state dollars are being withheld this year. And it's not a matter of going after the arts.
"I think it's because we've had the funds to fall back on and other divisions don't have that."
The Missouri Arts Council and similar agencies have a financial cushion. The Missouri Cultural Trust Fund was established in 1996. The money comes from non-resident athletes and entertainers income taxes. The trust fund is like a savings account for arts and humanities, with the Arts Council getting the largest cut from it.
The Arts Council is still receiving about $4.4 million from the state. Strohmeyer says all grants will still be awarded to organizations this year.
The Missouri Arts Council is the most significant grant provider to Columbia's Office of Cultural Affairs. Manager Marie Hunter says that money impacts almost every service they provide. She says public money helps keep the arts accessible to more people.
"A community, a world without involvement with the arts is not a good thing. What the arts provide to our community, historically, in the present, and how live our lives, and how we learn, and how we generate economic impact in our community is the arts are absolutely parts of those."
Hunter says the grants awarded to local agencies act as an economic stimulus.
"When a grant comes into an agency, it's just not staying there. They're paying artistic salaries, they're purchasing services, they have contracts with local providers for printing, catering."
Hunter says she wants to make sure the arts aren't framed as an extra, that it is an essential part of life.
The Missouri Humanities Council is also having half its budget withheld. This organization promotes learning and community betterment though libraries, schools, families, and history organizations. The Humanities Council also receives a bit of money through the trust fund. Executive Director Michael Bouman says they're financially secure now, but the trust fund can't last forever. He says he's worried about the fund's future.
Bouman says arts and humanities agencies have to get creative with their budgets.
"Anybody in the humanities is in the business of stimulating intelligence. We have to think of how we can motivate people to do interesting, stimulating things with less money."
Bouman is worried about the Humanities Council, but expresses deep concern for the State Historical Society.
"Some of these images are really powerful for telling this story of Missouri. Over here we have a group of paintings of real national importance as well. These are Thomas Hart Benton's paintings that he did..."
Art Curator Joan Stack walks through the Historical Society's gallery, which features nationally recognizable artwork with Missouri ties. It's one of the many services the Historical Society provides. People can research Missouri's heritage and history here too. Its state funding comes through the Department of Higher Education. Executive Director Gary Kremer says they too were affected by last week's cuts.
"A cut was not as big of a surprise as the depth of the cut."
This is the second significant cut to the State Historical Society's budget this year. It's lost about a third of its normal budget in four months. This has resulted in drastic changes to the Society.
Since January, its laid off almost 20% of its staff. The remaining workers have taken a 20% pay cut. The Historical Society has cut back on hours too, and is now open Monday through Thursday, meaning no more weekend visits. Stack says this affects kids in school.
"We're losing the opportunity to reach out to those people."
The Historical Society preserves 300 Missouri newspapers on microfilm each week. Kremer says they can't use state money on that anymore. He says they'll either stop providing that service or find private funds. Another project is up in the air. Since 1906, the Society has published a quarterly journal- the Missouri Historical Review. Kremer says it's the same story.
"We're not going to spend anymore public money on that journal the rest of the year. So, either we're going to have to raise the money privately or not publish it."
History is preserved through the arts.
While Kremer worries about the future of the Historical Society, others in the art world remain positive.
Nola Ruth is the chair of the Missouri Arts Council.
"You know, the thing about arts is, arts has always existed. Always. You know, there were cave paintings when we were prehistoric. So, it's not like the arts will ever go away. It's a question of how they will get to all the people."
Getting arts to people requires money. It's up to the councils and organizations and artists to become creative and selfless. Then the arts will live on.
This story was featured in KBIA's Off the Clock on November 6, 2009.
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