On Wednesday (5/2), the New York Times online hosted a roundtable discussion on arts funding in the U.S. “Even though it won the Tony Award for Regional Theater this week,” the introduction states, “The Shakespeare Theatre Company, like many other regional theaters, has seen donors decrease because of the economy, but continues to operate because of generous board members and creative partnerships. What can we do to stabilize funding for the arts? Can we learn from other countries’ examples? While arts funding is drying up in parts of Europe because of austerity measures, it’s flourishing in Brazil because of a tax on Brazilian companies. In an era when the National Endowment for the Arts is stretching its budget to fund digital art projects, what can be improved upon? How can public and private sectors work together?” Participants include Beth Nathanson of Playwrights Horizons; David Boaz of the Cato Institute; Bob Lynch of Americans for the Arts; Sergio Muñoz Sarmiento, artist and arts lawyer; Kamilah Forbes and Clyde Valentin of Hip-Hop Theater Festival; Michael Royce, New York Foundation for the Arts; and Stacy Palmer of The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Posted May 4, 2012
