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January 01, 2004"Well, hell...can't do no killin' with a mural, right?"
"Art! Who comprehends her? With whom can one consult concerning this great goddess?" - Ludwig van Beethoven
Nobody in California, apparently. State funding for the arts will take quite a hit this year. California's arts budget, in particular, was savaged—minced down to $1.89 million this year, a tightening of the belt of about 90% from last year's $20.3 million. It was the largest percentage cut, save Missouri's decision to cut last year's $3.6 arts allocation down to nothing at all.
Percentages aside, only 18 states will offer their citizens less arts funding in 2004: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming. You can read the full list here.
Just to put it all in perspective, based on the prices quoted in this ABCNEWS article, you could fund California's 2004 state arts budget:
almost 11 times over for price of one F-16 fighter jet
almost 16 times over for the price of one B-52 bomber
almost 23 times over for the price of one F-15 fighter jet
almost 106 times over for the price of one B-1 bomber
almost 688 times over for the price of one B-2 stealth bomber
Actually, with the price of that single B-2 stealth bomber, you could fund the entire country's 2004 state arts budget (about $272 million) four and three quarter times over. Granted, those prices are from 1999, but there's no reason to believe that the aircrafts listed above are piling over the edges of the military bargain basket and being sold in two-for-one deals.
But hey! No worries! Let's give ourselves a warm round of applause for being the world's policeman!
Posted by patrick at January 1, 2004 05:59 PM
CommentsYa know, as a struggling artist, I'm just as shocked about the cut as anyone else in my position should be. BUT...the state of California doesn't own a single one of the jets you listed. Be wary of mixing budgets, because the military is a national one. That being said, I AM curious as to where all of our arts money is going to in this lovely state of Ahnuldland.
Posted by: Rich Lashua at January 2, 2004 09:23 AM
California of all places. Jeez.
You can thank Grey Davis for this fine fuck up. Add Enron into the equation, too. Assholes.
Now I don't feel as bad about the Education budget.
Posted by: James at January 3, 2004 10:50 PM
Y'know, I'm actually very ambivalent about governmental arts funding. On the one hand, I think that we should screw all the bombs and missiles and shit, and dump that money into getting inner-city kids into the arts. I mean, holy fuck, man -- one F-16 could fund every small theatre in LA for ten years. One B-52 could fund the country.
And yet... the problem is that, with government funding comes government strings. Do I want money to be poured into the arts without question? Hell yeah. The trouble is -- it never comes without questions. And the last thing that beaureaucrats can understand is art.
So that's my ambivalence. Yes, it would be great if the government could just shower money down on us for art. Unfortunately, with the checkbook come questions -- and the people holding the pens don't have the brains with which to answer the questions.
In an ideal universe, the NEA would have a budget to rival the DOD, and hand it out blindly. Unfortunately, in the real world, the NEA has one fiftieth the budget ('cause killing is more important than creating) and, unfortunately, unlike the DOD, they can't justify things by saying, "It'll stop terrorism." When the great kicker is this -- wonderful art is an anti-terrorist act, even if it does tweak the powers that be. Or... especially if it does.
But, back to my original point... while it's a fucking crime that California has hacked arts funding to beyond the bone, I can't say I'm complaining -- because government funding of the arts is really the death of art.
For reference, see "Cradle Will Rock," and what happens to Diego Rivera and his Great Project for the lobby of Nelson Rockefeller's big new building. Somebody won and, hint -- the somebody who won was the guy with all the money...
Posted by: Jon Bastian at January 3, 2004 10:55 PM
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