Topeka — Gov. Sam Brownback on Thursday proposed providing $200,000 for the arts, but arts supporters said the measure was inadequate and didn’t make up for his veto of arts funding last year.
“That will not satisfy me nor anyone else who is passionate about this issue,” said Sen. Roger Reitz, R-Manhattan.
But Brownback’s budget director, Steve Anderson, said the proposal was an attempt to address concerns of arts supporters.
“We actually listened to what was said,” Anderson said.
Brownback has proposed moving $200,000 to a new entity called the Creative Industries Commission, which would combine the Kansas Film Commission and Kansas Arts Commission and be under the Kansas Department of Commerce.
The $200,000 would then be allocated to arts-related businesses that can show they can create jobs.
Funding for public arts programs would be provided by selling arts supporter license plates and a tax checkoff.
Last year, Brownback vetoed the Legislature’s $689,000 appropriation to the Kansas Arts Commission, making Kansas the first state in the nation to end state funding of arts programs. He said that arts funding was not a core function of government, that private fundraising could replace the state funds, and that the state would still be able to attract matching federal arts dollars.
But the National Endowment for the Arts said the veto made Kansas ineligible for $1.3 million in arts support. Kansas never submitted its application for a partnership grant with the NEA.
Sarah Carkhuff Fizell, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Citizens for the Arts, said she was glad that Brownback made the new proposal but hoped it would change during negotiations with the Legislature.
“We’d like to see more support,” Fizell said. “Two hundred thousand dollars is not two million,” she said.
Sen. Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence, said there were still many unanswered questions about the proposal. Francisco said she wanted to make sure the state would be in a position to be eligible for federal and regional grants.
Comments
blindrabbit 2 years, 3 months ago
SFBayhawk: Your mentioning of Leni Riefenstahl in a story about Brownie and his art funding further convinces me about the right-wing agenda of some in the Repub. Party. Much of the success of the Third Reich was based on the art of Leni, the operas of Wagner and the twisted logic of Goebbels and Himmler.
fearthetaliban 2 years, 3 months ago
Save some big $$ Gov. Disband that hobby based KS Wildlife Services.
EAStevens 2 years, 3 months ago
Years ago, a man lived in Ellis, Kansas for a time, and he eventually bore a son who had artistic talent. Perhaps it was lucky that the man moved to Illinois before his son was born and then to Missouri where the boy indulged his love of drawing, and that the son had the opportunity to study art in both Missouri and Illinois. The son imagined a business to capitalize on his artwork and finally moved out west to see if he could really make a go of it.
His gamble paid off, and he used art to generate profit and create jobs: from the humble beginning of a Mortimer Mouse drawing, Walt Disney built a powerhouse enterprise. Last year, it saw $36 billion in revenue, and its success still revolves around the vision and talent of artists. Maybe Walt Disney would have had the same success from a start in Ellis, Kansas, back then or even today. Or maybe a more artist-friendly climate in Illinois and Missouri made a difference for him. What do you all think?
progressive_thinker 2 years, 3 months ago
For anyone interested in some research on the topic of benefits of art education, please visit the study in this regard at http://www.silbertconsulting.com/downloads/CBA_of_Art_Education.pdf.
This study provides details and data about the overall value for the taxpayer that is seen by investment in the arts, in terms of potential for crime reduction, improvement of graduation rates, and other areas. . Cutting funding to the arts may be penny wise, but is pound foolish
pavlovs_dog 2 years, 3 months ago
More important to spend tax dollars blowing holes in things?
Flap Doodle 2 years, 3 months ago
Had the gov proposed to hire a million people and pay them $17.50 an hour to do wheat-weaving, the ususal suspects would say it wasn't enough.
WilburNether 2 years, 3 months ago
Listen to the little piggies squeal when the flow of taxpayer dollars into the public trough at which they feed is reduced!
Let the artsies pay for their thing themselves.
demonfury 2 years, 3 months ago
I agree with Brownback on some things but not about others. You can please some of the people some of the time, huh? The fact is, our economy is in the Johnny Flusher people. Unemployment, although the White House is trying to make it look better than it is because it's an election year, is in reality, well over 12%. So many people have fallen off the rolls because they can no longer collect it. Sales tax is out of control, government spending is out of control, fuel cost is out of control, grocery costs are out of control, public utility costs are out of control, health insurance costs are out of control, need I go on? This money is far better spent on issues that will improve everyone's quality of life, not just the art community. Let's get the economy back into a better position and then fund these issues as we are able.
Patriot2 2 years, 3 months ago
Appears the Wichita Grand Opera is doing very well! Why on earth would it need the measly $8,000.00 from the Kansas Arts Commission? That would be the same as someone who needed public assistance to get on their feet continue to receive public assistance after they become a millionaire!
63BC 2 years, 3 months ago
The picture of the young man working with clay is from August 2011.
I thought all art in Kansas ceased to be when government stopped paying for it.
Patriot2 2 years, 3 months ago
How is it off the mark, at all? You need another example? Try this one. A family of 4, (father, mother, 2 children). After paying mortgage, utility bills and car payment on their high efficiency hybrid car find they have only $300.00 left to spend on groceries and other necessities like toiletries and gas for their high efficiency car. This $300.00 has to last for the entire month. Just so happens the children, little Johnny and Mary Ann, have friends that invite them to spend a whole Saturday swimming and playing at their house. Sounds OK so far, but then Carol Sue tells Mary Ann that they’re also going to the mall where there’s a puppet show! And it’s going to be so much fun and it only costs $7.00 a ticket! Then she tells her after the puppet show they’re going to stop by the “Arcade and Romper Room” and that’s really cheap too. It’s just $20.00 for half a day! Now since they’re going to be spending about 6 hrs at the mall, they’re going to each need roughly $12.00 to get something to eat and drink. Total so far is $78.00 for little Johnny and Mary Ann to spend the day with their friends. Ya following me? So now mommy and daddy have to make the decision. Let little Johnny and Mary Ann go with their friends and spend almost one third of their grocery money on “entertainment” for one day or tell them “no” and not let them go. Somebody’s not going to be happy with one of the decisions. After mommy and daddy explain to little Johnny and Mary Ann that they only have so much money and they have to “spend” it wisely to cover the necessities, little Johnny and Mary Ann understand and grow up without feeling “entitled” to be “given” everything. They were taught to work and pay for what they need and want.
progressive_thinker 2 years, 3 months ago
The arts, including opera, are a net contributor to the economy.One great example of this is the Wichita Grand Opera, web page at http://www.wichitagrandopera.org/. In addition to employing 135 full time artists [singers and actors], the WGO also provides full time employment for administrative and support staff, as well as temporary employment opportunities for carpenters, painters, and other trades for set building. Temporary employment opportunities are provided for ticket takers, ushers, and other necessary staff. WGO attracts thousands of tourists each year, adding dollars to the local economy in terms of hotel/motel occupancy, restaurant dining, and other areas associated with tourism.
Local employers recognize the benefits of the WGO. For example, Cessna has formed a Cessna Employees WGO Club, and provides as a benefit to their employees access to reduced rate tickets. This sort of benefit helps to retain high quality employees.
Finally, the WGO has a diverse art/opera education program available to the community.
All of this benefit to the Wichita economy used to cost the state a measly $8,000 from the Kansas Arts Commission, part of that money coming from the National Endowment for the Arts. Now WGO gets zero from the state.
It is pretty hard to understand why we would not fund economic development that gets this good of a return on the dollar.
lucky_guy 2 years, 3 months ago
The point here is why give money at all if it doesn't hit the point where the feds will kick in the 1.2 million. What is the money going for? Is it another scheme to give the money to the people who contribute the most to Brownie's reelection fund? Basically making the State contribute to Brownie's Presidential hopes by bribing the locals to kick in so they can get some glass tubes? Pretty good scam if you can make it work.
Patriot2 2 years, 3 months ago
Wow. Can beleive people are bitching about not being given enough money. The state has just so much money to spend. No matter where it’s spent it appears that some people are going to feel it’s never enough. Maybe you should look at it a different way? You want more money for arts or do you want the SRS building? Paint and crayons or bread and milk? Interesting concept, huh.
rtwngr 2 years, 3 months ago
If the $200,000 isn't enough then we should use it elsewhere and tell the arts fartsy crowd to go jump in the lake of their choice.
mustrun80 2 years, 3 months ago
The logic of libs on here is priceless.
We have to keep spending money we don't have in order to get matching funds. In their minds the governor costs us both, right?
Ha. Credit Card companies love libs. "Here, if you spend 10,000 dollars you don't have we'll give you a percentage back."
Well then, how on earth could you NOT spend that money you don't have - my god, you'd be losing the matching part TOO!!!!
wprop 2 years, 3 months ago
$56,600,000 for Kansas wildlife svc.........hunting and fishing is hobby the gov . will not cut.
Robert Rauktis 2 years, 3 months ago
Public funded art is usually awful art, unless you're into Leni Riefenstahl or national monuments. Without passionate public scrutiny, classic discretionary government waste. Good ole Nancy Pelosi was behind government subsidy of the OPERA in San Francisco.
I wonder if that covered opening night canapes? We need to consult Dr. Frasier Crane.
blindrabbit 2 years, 3 months ago
the sole purpose for the State to financially contribute to The Arts is to alienate Sunny and her right-wing ilk. Otherwise, Art's provide no benefit to the intellectual health of the Community, do nothing to help educate childern, do nothing to provide diversity to the culture, do nothing to attract business, do nothing to promote creative thinking. Sunny and her agreers are willing to give-up what amounts to a few cents per person per year in tax dollors, which kills off a much larger contribution from the federal government to continue want to live in conservative Kansas blandness. This is especially important in Kansas, as the State has very few areas of natural beauty. Come out of you shell, get involved in a creative hobby; it will have profoung effect on a positive benefit to your well being and psyche!
skinny 2 years, 3 months ago
My tax dollar should not be spent on the arts! Thats is not why I pay taxes!!
RedOctober 2 years, 3 months ago
GOP terrorism at its finest
booyalab 2 years, 3 months ago
So if the state was spending $600,000 of taxpayer money to build 10 feet tall glass tubes and fill them with sand, then no reason is good enough to stop that expenditure because we might miss out on $1 million to spend on filling tubes with sand? That logic sucks.
Ray Parker 2 years, 3 months ago
Related: For the second year in a row, the federally funded National Portrait Gallery (NPG), a part of the Smithsonian Institution, held an exposition during the Christmas season focused on the homosexual lifestyle. “Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories,” an exhibition appearing at the NPG from Oct. 14, 2011 through Jan. 22, 2012, focuses on lesbian activist and writer Gertrude Stein. Last year, over the Christmas season, the museum hosted “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture,” a self-described homoerotic exhibition that included a video with images of Jesus on an ant-covered crucifix, naked brothers kissing and other controversial pieces. Given that NPG mounts less than a dozen exhibits annually, while two exhibits within the past 14 months have included a focus on the homosexual lifestyle, there is obviously a high-priority taxpayer-funded agenda to promote filthy sodomy and vile perversion here.
Bob_Keeshan 2 years, 3 months ago
But Brownback’s budget director, Steve Anderson, said the proposal was an attempt to address concerns of arts supporters.
“We actually listened to what was said,” Anderson said.
Apparently the Brownbackers consider that to be some sort of accomplishment. "Ooooh, we actually listened!".
Sounds like something you'd hear from a 4 year old. "But mom, I listened!". Somebody give Steve Anderson a cookie for listening.
xm75 2 years, 3 months ago
And I would criticize it as to much.
Matching funds are just federal tax dollars so it makes perfect sense for Kansas to reject them IF you oppose increased federal spending. Even though the federal government will likely just spend it elsewhere, but someone has to make the principled stand and reject this malinvestment.
If whichever art programs refer to were valued by the people then they would be able to sustain themselves without a central government authority providing tax funding.
Getaroom 2 years, 3 months ago
The governors actions also killed options for matching funds, so there were even greater losses than reported here. As is conveyed by Sunny's comments, there is immense ignorance of the arts programs in this community and state wide. Shameful.
sunny 2 years, 3 months ago
Pay for your own 'arts'. Work for donations.... My tax dollars should not have to pay for your hobby!
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