TechnotranscendenceUST:
>
> Not such a big deal but our tax dollars are supporting such "art." Of
> course, this goes for genuine art too. I don't think anyone should be
> forced to support it. And for those who might think I lack compassion
here,
> I not only buy art (from prints to CDs to poetry books), I do frequent
> museums, theaters, cinemas, galleries, and concerts. So I support it
> already. I also see lots of other people doing the same. Granted, I'm not
> feeding starving artists, but I do my part. Nothing to brag about, just
> trying to disarm the highly vocal libertarian-bashers.:)
Golly Gee Billy Bob, is that ther plaster mule a piece of Gen-yoo-ine Art?
Basher though you think I be, my tax dollars do not support much of the art
these days, believe me. The plug has been pulled. Educational art programs?
yes. Community Outreach programs for impoverished youth? OK. Inner city
revitalization through public performance? Sure... (If its generously matched
by ten thousand dollars from Sprint, Dole, Citicorp, Budwieser and the
Amanson Foundation). But art as Art? Artists making Art? Money for an
ack-tchoo-al artiste, paid to create? noooo....
Not any more.
And art is the better for it, IMHO. If I think YOU have a narrow idea of what
"genuine art" is- imagine what I think of the NEA's ever narrowing, narrow
viewpoint!
Urk.
I don't feel forced to pay taxes, I like paying taxes, I like to live in my
world of free busses, free roads, free schools, good security and public
parks and beaches.
Money well spent. I wish I could put more of it towards sculpture gardens
instead of guns.
Hey ... but I don't feel that in REALITY Art benefits from National money, in
fact in it's heyday the NEA seemed to generate worse art each year.
Eventually the system bottomed out and shit hit the fan with the NEA four. If
you want MY take on that, e-mail me privately, since it involves people I
know.
FYI: Most of the money for public art comes from private funding. Rich folks.
Philanthropically minded folks with more money to spend than they know how to
spend it. Only a tiny bit of the money comes from your taxes (assuming you
live in the United States) and 99% of 1999 endowments for the arts was
directly from grants: Corporate funders, family trusts, estate endowments and
the like.
They are less controlling than Uncle Sam, but not by much.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Oct 02 2000 - 17:37:48 MDT