by Erik Johnson
With Labor Day now past and the autumn winds returning, another season of performances and exhibitions is almost within reach. We’re all thinking a little harder about how we spend our money, but one could certainly be forgiven for thinking that this may finally be the year when the arts keep their collective head above water. After all, there is much to look forward to. Exciting new maestros take up their batons with both the Los Angeles Philharmonic and New York Philharmonic, the NEA will have a chance to flex its recently appropriated muscles, and arts managers survey a somewhat sunnier financial landscape.
I don’t mean to paint a falsely- rosy picture. At this time last year, we still had opera in Baltimore, Connecticut, and Orlando. Thousands of arts employees were still working their hearts out at museum and orchestra offices from Boston to San Francisco, oblivious to their impending dismissals. As with any recession, there comes a lot of pain and regret for which there is rarely anyone to blame. These are unavoidable truths for an industry that is routinely described with words such as ‘irrelevant’ and ‘bygone’.
It is with this mixture of what economists and pundits call ‘cautious optimism’ that art administrators and supporters are called upon once again to take up the banner for the arts. John V. Bennett, arts columnist for the Los Angeles Times, puts it quite nicely in his September 2004 article where he posits: “Today’s classical-music leadership has largely abdicated its responsibility for self-advocacy. If [the arts] want to maintain their standing in the cultural sphere, they’ll have to fight for it.”
Be advised: this battle begins in the galleries and concert halls, but it is won in homes and schools across the country. Now more than ever before, those of us who are touched by the power of fine art need to be outspoken advocates in our communities, homes, schools, and places of work. By doing so, we can ensure many happy opening nights to come. Toi Toi Toi for 09/10!
Erik Johnson serves as Artistic Associate for Boston Lyric Opera. You can find more on Erik here.
