On Being A Priority
I write a weekly column for the website AudienceOutlookMonitor.com which collects audience surveys taken by arts groups from around the world and analyzes the results and tracks the data over time since this spring. Here are some columns over the last few months.
Aug. 28, 2020
Here in the United States, the unconventional conventions of the two political parties are over and to no one’s great surprise the words “arts,” or “culture” were not uttered, at least I didn’t hear it, during the combined eight days of speeches about this country’s present state of crises and its re-imagined future.
But a sadder observation is that still not many other people in power, celebrity or great influence are speaking out on behalf of arts and culture and the great need in getting assistance, whether for artist survival, for organizational solvency or for initiatives that could help them all.
Until audiences can return to these arts centers and organizations safely, these not-for-profit institutions that have helped define and enrich communities remain in jeopardy, as well as armies of artists, both freelance and not. A half-year into the pandemic — and counting, big support, big names and big ideas are still lacking. Not much help has arrived since the spring.
The American response stands in stark contrast to Britain, which had a string of cultural powerhouse names and formidable figures — including a major royal — drumbeating for special government support to the arts during the pandemic — resulting in a nearly $2 billion life preserver.
The United States has not had that type of high-profile effort, certainly not with that …