Category: Politics

As the DC Advocates for the Arts are organizing and fighting to maintain the budget of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities this year, I’m spending some time looking deeper into the eco-system of DC arts funding. Did you know that in fiscal 2011 the Kennedy Center federal appropriation was $23,500,000 for operations and maintenance and another $17,447,000 for capital?  Or that the fiscal 2011 National  Gallery of Art appropriation was a full $110,460,000? Mayor Gray’s proposed 2012 appropriation for the DCCAH is 3.92 million, total, and keep in mind that last year the DCCAH gave out over 300 grants with a similar appropriation.

The DC Arts scene is complex. It includes a Federal scene, which is supported by Federal money, a Northwest local scene, and a neighborhood scene. The Federal scene includes the Kennedy Center and Smithsonians, and the Northwest local scene includes a small group of theaters, including Arena, Studio, Shakespeare. The neighborhood scene and to a lesser extent the Northwest local scene are supported by funding from the DCCAH. The Federal art folks apply and get grants from the DCCAH, but as % of their budgets,  that funding is a drop in the bucket that allows them to deliver more to locals (as opposed to the tourists.)

The National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs (NCACA) Program was created in 1985 to address the downward pressure of Federal arts institutions on District Arts organizations. It has significantly supported creation of the Northwest local arts scene (which also serves neighborhoods.) In any city the largest arts institutions get the most support from foundations, and private funders. The boards of the largest organizations, in every city, lead private giving, and while the presence of the Smithsonians and Kennedy Center is a great benefit for DC tourism, it has created a strong downward pressure on the local arts community, not only in foundation dollars, but in board participation and private money.

Since 1985 the NCACA program has provided operating support of between $250,000 and $450,000 per year to a small group of qualifying arts organizations in the District. The qualifying group has grown substantially since 1985 – from 3 when the program started, to 25 this past year. The Arena Stage, Studio Theater, Woolly Mammoth Theater, and others would not exist in their current forms without the National Capitol Arts and Cultural Affairs Program. In FY 12 President Obama’s budget proposed a reduction in National Capitol Arts funding from 9.5 million to 5 million. These changes are not final, but it seems unlikely that Congress will put money back into the arts this year. As we focus toward DC’s Arts Advocacy Day, and asking the Mayor and Council to support the local arts community, it’s appropriate to realize how dwarfed we are locally by the Federal arts scene, and Federal arts monies.

Will DC have local art, or will we only have Federal arts? These are questions being answered in the current Federal and District FY 12 budget debates.

– Rob Bettmann

In a city of transience, I’m beginning to feel like the old guy on the block. The one who ‘remembers when’. In that spirit I’m publishing today something that I wrote back in 2007.

At the time I wrote it I was pretty afraid to be ‘barred’ by the Kennedy Center for criticizing them. I run a local dance company, and my company cannot grow without the opportunity to perform at the Kennedy Center on the Millenium Stage. The Millenium Stage/Kennedy Center is a critical credit and potential support. I thought that if I didn’t publish this, but just gave it to some folks I might appropriately influence policy, without making enemies. I gave it by hand to six people who I knew could influence without making me enemies. I don’t know if it had any impact, but in 2009 they didn’t bring the Nutcracker in at Christmas, and haven’t since, so that’s a start.

(Title Removed)

If you liked dance, and wanted to see a few performances each year, would you pick: a), The Kirov, American Ballet Theater, and Alvin Ailey; or b) Washington Ballet, Lucy Bowen-McCaulay and Reflections? It is no-one’s fault; the majority of audience members pick A. Continue reading “Institutional Memory”

The oversight hearing for the DCCAH was today. It began at 4:30pm, and ended just after 8. Council-member Thomas and his staff (Rodgers and Pittman) were solid, as was representation from the community. It was interesting to see how many arts organizations delegated their participation to staff, rather than leadership. The E.D. (Russell) from Washington Ballet was there… the ballet knows the value of government relations well. They are the largest recipient of non-capital dc government funding in the last five years (over 3 million in earmarks and grants.)

A development person from Dance Place was there. Dance Place is one of the organizations potentially hardest hit by the NCACA reduction. I testified after her, and because she didn’t mention NCACA and their loss of funds, I figured I wouldn’t either. Maybe somehow the NCACA funds the president cut are being put back? Here is my testimony as I wrote it, and the portion enclosed in bold brackets I did not ‘offer’ live.

Testimony of Robert Bettmann to the
Committee on Economic Development
Chairman Harry Thomas

FY 12 Oversight Hearing for the

DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

March 16, 2011

Thank you Chairman Thomas, council staff, and members of the Committee on Economic Development for the opportunity to testify today.

The impact and influence of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is incredibly positive, and is felt in every ward, and by hundreds of thousands of residents each year. Arts funding offers incredibly strong return on investment. The five million dollar FY 11 budget went out in over 300 grants to residents this past year. Collectively the budgets of those organizations and projects are hundreds of millions of dollars.

Continue reading “Oversight Testimony”