From the director.
McHale, Ellen
Today, President Obama released his FY2016 budget. Economists and
politicians will spend the next several weeks dissecting and debating
its merits, and the final result will very likely be an alteration of
President Obama's original intention. In its first presentation,
however, the President recommends a modest increase for the National
Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities,
and specific funding for a national program of arts education.
Why, one might ask, should government support the arts? The reasons
are numerous and range from the purely economic reason that the arts are
economic drivers for the nation's downtowns and tourist industries,
to the quality of life issues, which have shown that the arts provide
important vehicles for leisure and for the aesthetic expressions of our
everyday lives. Government support for the arts, although not a total
answer for arts activities, provides a mechanism for art and arts
activities to reach every member of our nation.
The arts have historically benefitted from wealthy patrons,
predominantly located in urban areas and that continues to be the case,
as the wealthier among us provide support to those arts activities that
inspire them. However, to rely upon that patronage for the entire nation
skews the equation and creates a situation where art is accessible only
to those who can pay for it. With arts funding from the state or federal
level, it has been found that arts education, and the opportunities to
experience art activities, reaches a less enfranchised portion of our
nation: the rural, the poor, minority populations, and the young.
For a folklore organization, government support for folk arts
provides support for arts that are specific to certain communities or
segments of our populations. Support for folk arts provides a validation
for arts, which are seldom seen within American popular culture, or
within Western European fine art expressions. Referencing the American
populace as a whole, Bill Ivey, former NEA Chair and folklorist, pointed
to the importance for Americans everywhere to live a vibrant
"expressive life" comprised of two components: heritage and
voice. He said, "Every American (and all people) must continually
choose between activities and engagements that connect them with family
and community and those that enable them to 'go inside,'
digging into personal expression, individual creativity, and
idiosyncrasies" (Ivey 2012, 142). Folk and traditional arts provide
one vehicle for this expression of heritage, coupled with a personal
aesthetic and creative impulse.
In the upcoming months, as Congress debates the proposed FY2016
budget, I urge you to contact your local congressman to express your
support for arts and culture. Your support matters.
Source: Ivey, Bill. 2012. Handmaking America: A Back-to-Basics
Pathway to a Revitalized American Democracy. Berkeley: Counterpoint.
Ellen McHale, PhD, Executive Director
New York Folklore Society
nyfs@nyfolklore.org
www.nyfolklore.org
