Carolina Arts Unleashed

While scanning the Internet for news about what’s going on in the Carolina visual art community I came across an interesting feature in Free Times a Columbia, SC, based publication (Issue #22.14 :: 04/08/2009 – 04/14/2009) entitled, Cutting the Arts – Midlands Groups Struggle Amid Declining Support, by Ron Aiken. As I read through the piece I had to cringe – it’s just the kind of publicity the art community doesn’t need – someone in the arts whining about the lack of public and private funding. You can find the full article here.

Wim Roefs, board chairman of the 701 Center for the Contemporary Arts (a non-profit) and owner of if ART Gallery (a for-profit) provided the bulk of the whining. For the purpose of keeping things straight I’ll be putting Roefs words in bold type – everything else will be me.

When asked how the local situation regarding corporate giving has effected the people assembled for this article Roefs offered the following:

Our situation (at the 701 Center for Contemporary Art) is a little different in the sense that we don’t have anything to compare ourselves to since we’re in our first year.

But when a bunch of us started this project in 2007 it was a much better climate. We couldn’t even think about what it would be like when we opened in 2008 — in the meantime it’s just all bottomed out. So when we were starting, we were really waiting for a few big — well, big for us — chunks of money. Our budget the first year is $187,000, so we were waiting for these few big ones and then making a big leap of faith.

The fact is this center may have been in the planning in 2007, but they didn’t open the doors until Oct. 2008 – well after the bottom dropped out of the economy. They had plenty of time to put a hold on this effort, but decided to ignore the climate because all the right people were behind their efforts and money was flowing to the group that had done nothing yet.

We did get, in 2007, money from (accommodations) tax and got money from (hospitality) tax, and then the decisive moment came when BlueCross came in and said we’re going to give you the rent for the gallery space. That gave us the money to say, all right, let’s make the jump. Then you have to start raising funds, both corporate and private. We don’t have ticket sales since we’re free. We’ve actually had good attendance. We’ve had 2,300 people come in through the first five months, which is pretty good for a contemporary arts center.

The opening of the center cost $100 a pop. It was also reported in The State that about 80 memberships to the center, ranging from $15 to $2,500, have been sold. That’s not exactly free to me. It was also reported in The State that so far it (the Center) has received $25,000 from BlueCross BlueShield (This is money from profits from people’s health care costs.) and $45,000 from city accommodations and hospitality taxes. (That’s money from taxpayers.) The building’s owners, Richard Burts and Robert Lewis, have donated $15,000 toward the annual rent of $40,000. (That’s a make believe donation of money that never existed.) How did these Columbia City leaders give so much money to a project which had not even opened? This building at 701 Whaley Street in Columbia has had a history of public funding going down the drain. When will these people learn?

We’ve had some other very unfortunate things that are related to the economic situation as well, one of which is that we cannot apply to the arts commission for operational funds because we didn’t exist — the arts commission came up with the decision that there would be no new projects funded — so we’re screwed there, because we’re new. The first year we couldn’t get any money from them because we hadn’t existed for a year yet, then by the time we qualified for money, the ruling came down for no new organizations.

I’m actually stunned here that the SC Arts Commission acted prudently in this situation by not giving funds to an unproven group and then putting a freeze on funding for new groups while their funding was being cut by the State. I’m really stunned, but I know it is really due to the fact – they just didn’t have the money to give “and” keep their staff on payroll. Hard choices had to be made.

And even though now there’s going to be some NEA stimulus money, we can’t get that money because they can only hand it out to previous grantees and what have you. We’re pissing beside a pot on all of this stuff, and it’s a bit of an issue. The city already has sent out a letter to everyone that next year you can expect a 25-percent decrease in H-tax revenue, so the $35,000 that we got last year, if we get $25,000 to $27,000 this year we’ll be lucky. So in the meantime we’re trying to make people feel bad about not giving. It’s all about guilt.

OMG – as the kids say these days – I can’t believe he said that – “we’re trying to make people feel bad about not giving. It’s all about guilt.” Apparently Roefs has no guilt for thrusting a new non-profit on the back of the Columbia and SC art community. If I was one of the city and county leaders in charge of handing out money I won’t be giving this ungrateful soul a penny. Much less the thought that since they got money one year it’s automatic that you’ll get money again. Once on the dole – always on the dole?

Now I’ll agree that it is stupid that the only people who can get a taste of that NEA stimulus money is only those who have received funding in the past, but I guess that was to prevent folks from just forming groups to get some of the money – I don’t know, but it does seem to add to the bad timing on the part of those who decided to take the leap in starting this new art center.

After we took the plunge, we had a bunch of people lined up, corporations and also private donors, that we were fairly certain would come through. Most of them tell you, “We’re looking at your sponsorship package,” and then, “We’re still looking at it,” and then you don’t hear anything anymore. And these are people we know who love this project, love the arts and love the people involved. So what happens is they just don’t show up; we don’t see them. They’re hesitant to even show their face lest they would be looked at with dollar signs in our eyes.

Can you imagine why these people are not showing up. And, how will they feel after reading or hearing about this article?

We’ve had some really nice surprises (with) people showing up and giving us money that were not even on our radar, and thank god for that. The ones that we thought of, not as the usual suspects, but somewhat low-hanging fruit, is hanging pretty high so far.

Unfortunately this is the statement Roefs should have made in response to the question – except for the low-hanging fruit and usual suspects part. I guess art donors are just considered fruit for the picking by Roefs or suspects. And, unfortunately Roefs’ statements will taint all non-profit groups looking for funding in tough economic times.

As someone who represents the commercial sector of the art community in SC and the Carolinas, it is hard to see how Roefs can’t see how lucky he is in even being able to receive public and private funding as a non-profit, but I can’t imagine ever making guilt my basis for why people should support my efforts.

I have asked our readers for financial support during these troubled times and have received support from people I know are trying to get by themselves. I view that support, like the support we receive from advertisers every month as a treasured gift. Hopefully a gift we have earned and a gift we will continue to earn and re-gift in the future. I don’t look at anyone with dollar signs in my eyes. And, I think most in the non-profit sector of the arts don’t either. There are some that do, but they are probably smart enough not to do it in public or make such public statements.

Some will ask why expose this underside of the arts when it might make everyone look bad in the eyes of the giving public?

All I can say is, I want that public to know that they have choices when they give their support and I would hope they pick organizations with people who are grateful for the money they receive – not folks who deal in guilt. I have said many times that we in the arts should wake up every day pinching ourselves over the fact that people give their hard earned money to support our efforts.

Unfortunately some artists and some in the arts industry think: I am, therefore you must support me.

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