In defense of the oldest profession

To the editor,
Long before people were trading sex for money, they were expressing their dreams, hopes and fears by painting on cave walls. Art is as old as fire. Art is as old as mud. Music is as old as the first thud of a stick against a hollow log. Once we discovered charcoal and clay, we set about making art supplies. Once we recognized the sensation of pairing our heart beats with the resonance of a drum beat, music was born. The arts were a fact of life ages before leisure time presented the notion of other diversions. In human evolution, hunting and gathering may pre-date art, but only slightly. Even before our stomachs were full, our souls cried out to be fed. It is our nature.
The economic correction has offered us a challenge as a community. The fabulous wave of prosperity created by our "Greatest Generation" parents has crested and crashed. It's time to follow their example, conserve and get serious about our priorities. For me, those priorities are very basic -- not far beyond those of the cave dwellers -- food, shelter, education and enjoyment of the arts.
A frighteningly short-sighted proposal has come before the Virginia State House of Delegates:
On February 21 the Appropriations Committee of the House of Delegates voted, 15-7, to cut state funding for the Virginia Commission for the Arts by 50 percent in 2010-11 and to eliminate the agency completely as of July 1, 2011.
The Senate Finance Committee has adopted the proposal in the budget bill submitted by Governor Kaine not to make further cuts in state funding for the Commission for the Arts.
There will be votes on the House and Senate floors later this week on the proposals from the two committees. The different versions of the 2010-12 budget bill approved by the two house of the General Assembly then go to a Budget Conference Committee to resolve the differences.
• The arts community recognizes the severity of the budget problems facing state government and expects to share in the budget cuts and has already been cut by 30 percent over the last two years.
• However, every dollar that the state invests in the arts through the Commission returns $7 in investment by private citizens, businesses, and local governments.
• The Commission made matching grants to Virginia local governments of half a million in FY 2009-2010 to support festivals and programs generating tourism and attracting business and cultural activity throughout the state.
• The Commission is funded at the lowest per capita level among state agencies of surrounding states.
• Elimination of the Commission would also mean the loss of Federal funds for arts in Virginia ($1 million in FY 2009-2010).
• The arts contribute to the economic vitality of Virginia communities. Localities such as South Boston, Richmond, Lynchburg, Blacksburg, Alexandria, and Petersburg are using the arts as a lynchpin for attracting business and economic development.
• Artists and arts organizations work in Virginia schools to expand educational opportunities for children so important to developing a creative workforce. The arts have stepped in to meet cultural education needs of our children where these programs are being cut in the schools. Funds provided by the Virginia Commission for the arts often represent the only opportunity for children in rural areas to be exposed to arts and culture.
• The arts provide jobs and cultural tourism as an important part of Virginia tourism promotion efforts.
• Over the past two years the arts have faced large spending cuts, cancellations of performances, staff layoffs, and galleries closing. Minimizing further cuts in state arts funding is essential to the survival of Virginia's cultural infrastructure. Cuts of the magnitude being proposed would cause arts organizations, both large and small, to close their doors throughout the Virginia.
Please contact your representatives in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate on behalf of the Virginia Commission for the Arts now, before it's too late. Urge them to vote against the proposal of the House Appropriations Committee. The small investment Virginia makes in the arts has a major impact on local economic development, tourism, education and the quality of our lives.
Representative's names and addresses can be found at:
http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform
Laura Thompson
Executive Director
The Arts Center In Orange