Panel discusses arts funding

By Josie Gingrich

Daily Staff Reporter

Four panelists and members of the University community wrestled with difficult questions involving funding for the arts at the Michigan Union last night.

In a dialogue titled "Funding for Arts: A Right or Privilege" sponsored by the Democracy Project and Art Matters, the issues of who decides what is art and who is responsible for funding the arts were raised and debated.

"Funding for the arts is an issue that's been controversial for a while, and very important recently," said RC sophomore Shari Katz, chairwoman for the Voice Your Vote Task Force of the Michigan Student Assembly. "With such a nice arts curriculum and students in arts on campus, the topic affects everyone."

"It's a vital issue fundamental to the fate of art and artists in society," said LSA freshman Chris Kramer, a member of Art Matters.

The four panelists were James Hart from Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer's office and consultant to the National Endowment of the Arts; Eileen Weiser, executive director of the McKinley Foundation; State Rep. Jon Jellema (R-Spring Lake), co-chairman of the bi-partisan arts caucus; and Julie Ellison, professor of English language and literature and director of "Imagining American Artists and Scholars in Public Life."

During the dialogue, the panelists were asked whether they thought art was a right or a privilege.

The question of whether art is a "right or a privilege is not right," said James Hart. "More relevant is the relationship between art and the community which supports the art."

"The real question to me is whether funding for arts is a luxury or a necessity," Weiser said. "When times are difficult, sustaining arts becomes less important."

"I believe the state has a responsibility to fund arts," Jellema said. "However, it's not the sole responsibility of the state."

He pointed out that the national government spends less then 33 cents per capita on arts.

"The state has an obligation, but it's not a right or privilege," Jellema said. "The state has to be there, preserving a kind of language, a reference point for the next generation."

"Artists have become more insistent on their vision of what art is," Hart said. "That's led us to the circumstances we're in now."

The general consensus among the panelists was that debate and communication on the function of art in society is essential to answering the question.

"I invite conflict," Ellison said. "I think we can handle it like grown-ups."

The Democracy Project sponsors monthly forums on issues pertinent to the University community, such as funding for the arts.

"We want to host interactive discussions," Katz said. "The subjects are not cut and dry."

JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily

Panelists (from left to right) McKinley Foundation Executive Director Eileen Weiser, LSA freshman Chris Kramer, English Prof. Julie Ellison and state Rep. John Jellema (R-Spring Lake) discuss national arts funding at the Michigan Union last night.