A hat tip to Paul Chesser for this interesting piece in the New York Times (hey, someone has to read it and I’m glad it isn’t me). It seems that government arts councils in a number of states have been succeeding this year during difficult budget times with an old and reliable scam: the “arts mean business” pitch.
What these state-funded arts grantmakers do is commission a “study” that purports to show how investing a few taxpayer dollars in the arts generates a massive return in jobs, economic impact, and tax revenues. I remember back in 1989-90, while I was working for the now-defunct Spectator magazine in the Triangle, that a local arts group trotted out one of these unintentionally hilarious economic-impact statements. Their claim was that every dollar “invested” in the arts community generated something like $10 or $11 dollars in economic impact, leading a certain smart-alecky columnist to assert that if true, the state should stop funding anything else ? schools, roads, etc. ? and simply stage more modern-dance expositions and “Music Man” productions.
For those who don’t already know why these multiplier-effect claims are silly, here are your assigned readings. And here’s a piece on arts funding that y’all should particularly enjoy.
