Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 1, 1991 TAG: 9102010759
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Most people's lists would include natural beauty, an ample supply of retail and other services, good schools, and the general convenience here compared with life in congested urban areas. Other blessings might differ depending on who's counting them.
Roanoke's arts and culture scene, though, deserves a place on anyone's short list. For a metropolitan area this size, the offerings are extraordinary. Their importance to this region, even to its economy, is hard to overestimate.
Which is why it's disturbing that arts programs here are threatened with violent cutbacks in state funding.
For this year and for the next, the General Assembly originally appropriated $5.2 million for the Virginia Commission for the Arts, through which most state arts funding passes. In response to revenue shortfalls, that figure has been cut to $4 million for this year.
Now comes Gov. Wilder with a proposal to slash next year's statewide funding to $1 million - an 81 percent cut from the original appropriation. The effect of that and other cutbacks would be to remove from Roanoke more than $1 million in state support for cultural programs next year.
That is not a blow easily absorbed - especially during a recession, when ticket income and private and corporate support are falling. Non-profit arts organizations and museums tend to operate close to the margin as it is. Local governments, despite a compelling interest in cultural vitality, face hard times too. They won't fall over themselves rushing to fill the funding gap.
It's important, therefore, to remind ourselves - and our representatives in Richmond - that the arts need support, and not only for their own sake.
Even those who may not often take in state-aided offerings - such as the symphony, Mill Mountain Theater, the opera, the ballet, the science and art and transportation museums and the Harrison Heritage & Cultural Center - should appreciate their value.
Consider: Would a visiting business executive be as interested in locating a plant or office - and its jobs - in the valley if the cultural attractions weren't here? Would as many tourists driving Interstate 81 or the Blue Ridge Parkway make a point of stopping? What would Roanoke's downtown be like without Center in the Square?
Roanoke's arts and cultural offerings are not a luxury enjoyed by an elite few. Tens of thousands visit the museums, for example, every year. Local institutions play a critical educational role, also involving tens of thousands annually. And not only Roanoke residents partake. The city is a cultural center serving much of Western Virginia.
In tangible ways, Roanoke's arts attractions buttress economic development, draw tourist dollars and help preserve the city's role as hub of a regional economy. They are assets with impressive economic and educational returns.
And don't forget the less-tangible benefits. The arts entertain and provoke. They connect us with other worlds and enrich everyday life.
If you think the arts scene is arcane or boring, you must have missed folk musician Taj Mahal's recent sold-out performance, sponsored by the Arts Council of Roanoke Valley.
Like Victoria Bond, the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra's superb conductor, the arts are a focus for this community's pride. They enliven and help define who we are. Even if you don't hold subscription tickets, the quality of your community and therefore your lives is enhanced because a symphony of excellence performs here.
With a stake in the arts so widely shared, they should not be viewed as a frill appropriately sacrificed when budget shortfalls appear. They're a relatively inexpensive investment in a vibrant community. But their small cost means that small dollar amounts in spending cuts can have a big effect.
Wilder's proposed arts cuts, totaling a few million dollars, are tiny compared to a $2 billion state shortfall. But their impact on affected programs could prove huge, especially given multiplier effects on matching funds.
Most state appropriation categories would be cut by 8 percent to 14 percent under the governor's plan. State arts institutions - the Museum of Natural History, the Science Museum of Virginia and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts - face funding cuts of 12 percent, 11 percent and 10 percent respectively.
So why should funding for the Virginia Commission for the Arts, supporting cultural groups statewide, be cut so radically? Some cut obviously is in order. But 81 percent? That's unfair.
It's also unwise. Diminishing the long-term quality of community life for an immediate but marginal budgetary gain amounts to a serious error. Legislators should correct it this session.
by CNB