From the category archives:

Ways and Means

Trillions in play, Fox News nickel-and-dimes the humanities

by Andrew Hazlett on October 24, 2009

in Politics,Washington,Ways and Means

Are the Humanities a Waste of Money

Are the Humanities a Waste of Money?

Fox News and the National Taxpayers Union are wrong to search for wasteful government spending by kicking around in the “decimal dust” of grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Over the last year or so, politicians of both parties have commanded taxpayers and future generations to provide billions and trillions of dollars to prop-up dying industries, fund a pork-tainted stimulus, and rescue reckless debtors and financial institutions from the consequences of their own actions.  We are experiencing a massive, probably permanent expansion of the size and power of the federal government, all under the guise of addressing the financial crisis.

In response, we’ve seen the inchoate anxiety of the Tea Party movement, a sneering progressive retort about “teabaggers,” and juvenile battles between the executive branch and populist media entities.  Of course, Capitol Hill hasn’t been any better.

There’s been precious little grown-up debate about what we are doing to ourselves and future generations.  Instead, from all sides, we’re getting mutual demonization, cartoon duels, and mindless appeals to emotion (principally fear and loathing).  I don’t see much of a sense of proportion or history anywhere.

Take this latest kerfuffle, for instance: Why, in this era of unprecedented thirteen-figure government spending, is a representative of the National Taxpayers Union taking time to swat six-figure gnats?  Why is now the time for limited government proponents to attack the National Endowment for the Humanities?

As if the life of a college professor weren’t easy enough, millions of taxpayer dollars are going to fund monthlong vacations for sightseeing scholars in Europe and South America, part of the $144 million [sic] budget provided for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Government watchdogs say those trips are a waste of taxpayer money, and they’re not alone on an eye-popping list of NEH funding for projects…

“Everybody should be angry … that federal taxpayer dollars are being used on projects at a time when we have such bigger priorities, like getting the national debt under control,” said Pete Sepp of the National Taxpayers Union.

“They’re being done with tax money we don’t have. We are mortgaging our future with projects people may never even see.”

You can read more examples of “shocking” NEH grants at the Fox News website, but I suggest viewing this video report from correspondent William La Jeunesse:

Reading and viewing these comments leaves me sad and deflated.  I’m sure my liberal friends turned away with disgust at the first mention of “Fox News,” so I’ll address this post to people who are more likely to be skeptical about NEH grants.

From 2002 to 2009, I worked at the National Endowment for the Humanities as an appointee of President George W. Bush. I’ve seen how the grant process unfolds and I’ve read countless applications in detail. I’ve seen outstanding projects and hair-curlingly awful stuff. I don’t believe I was brainwashed by the career bureacrats at the NEH, nor do I have a connection with the agency now. I am well acquainted with all the flaws and dangers of government funding for scholarship, the arts, and culture.

After watching William La Jeunesse’s report, and looking at the supposedly horrible grants he cites, I see something very different.

Exploring the bloody history of China’s cultural revolution and the horrors of Soviet collectivization; studying the philosophy of Aristotle, sending scholars to unlock the mysteries of ancient archives abroad, helping schoolteachers enrich their knowledge… Are these really frivolous concerns? [click to continue…]

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Culture Crash: Some Arts Organizations May not Survive the Recession

by Andrew Hazlett on August 1, 2009

in Art,Historical Memory,Museums,Philanthropy,Ways and Means

Uh oh.

Uh oh.

A plunging stock market, shrinking endowments, disappearing visitors, evaporating donations, long-term declines in audiences… things are looking bleak for a lot of American cultural institutions.  James Panero writes in City Journal that New York City arts organizations are only beginning to feel the punishing effects of the the Great Recession.  Overly risky investments and poor management may also be factors.  Even the wealthiest museums are barely keeping afloat.  Quite a few of these centuries-old institutions may not survive:

To understand the current condition of arts organizations in New York City, visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There, you will find one of Winslow Homer’s most famous works, The Gulf Stream. Painted in 1899, the canvas depicts a solitary sailor lashed to his boat on a storm-tossed sea. The mast and bowsprit have snapped, the tiller and rudder are gone, and a school of sharks circles the boat in blood-red water. On the horizon are two images. On the left, through the fog, is the silhouette of a ship under full sail: a possible rescue. On the right, a looming waterspout presents a far more ominous outcome.Homer was no allegorist, but his work serves, unfortunately, as an all-too-appropriate metaphor. Just as the storm has knocked out the boat’s propulsion and steering, an initial wave—the downturn in the financial markets—has smashed the endowments of arts organizations. Now a second threat, the indirect effects of the downturn, is appearing on the horizon like the waterspout. Its full force will be felt by arts organizations in the months and years ahead.

The rest of Panero’s troubling story can be read here at City Journal (via Arts & Letters Daily).

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Kindle and the Future (if there is one) of Print Culture

by Andrew Hazlett on March 4, 2009

in Books,Digital Culture,Magazines,Newspapers,R.I.P.,Ways and Means

Digital readers will save writers and publishing, even if they destroy the book business.

This prediction, and other points that are kinda-comforting for book lovers, can be found in this lengthy, but very worthwhile analysis at Slate‘s financial channel The Big Money.

In related news, here is a plea for revitalizing the endangered business of book reviewing.  I don’t think the author seriously believes a government bailout is in the offing, but doesn’t it seem as though there’s a market opportunity for reviewing books and culture as newspapers and magazines struggle?  Hmm…

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Cheap Culture, cont’d

by Andrew Hazlett on March 2, 2009

in Cheap Culture,Digital Culture,Media,Television,Ways and Means

With less and less TV worth watching, and more and more of what is good available via the Internet, why keep an expensive cable subscription?  Good question.

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Cultural Economy: Arts Organizations, Museums, and Cultural Institutions are Reeling

by Andrew Hazlett on March 2, 2009

in Art,Museums,Music,Philanthropy,Theater,Ways and Means

No surprise here, but the arts and culture sector has been particularly decimated in recent months.

The downturn walloping the entire economy has hit non-profit arts organizations especially hard. With millions of people scrambling to pay for food and other basics, a night at the opera can seem frivolous. So museums, symphonies, theaters, ballet companies and opera companies have cut staff, canceled performances, shortened seasons and, in some cases, shut down.

The worst may be yet to come.

Disturbing details continue here.  Whether these institutions belong among the beneficiaries of federal stimulus largesse is an open question (though the $50 million set aside for the National Endowment for the Arts seems sub-trivial in these “trillion here, trillion there” times).

Regardless of one’s position on the stimulus spending, everyone could agree that we should at least encourage private donations to museums, dance companies, historic sites, etc. in these dark times. But the Obama administration’s new budget calls for scaling back tax deductions for charitable giving. Billions in annual donations may be at risk.

In addition to our commercial entertainment industry, cultural expression in America has thrived because of our decentralized system based on the voluntary support of foundations and individuals.  Philanthropic donations to non-profit arts and education programs have been the lifeblood of our vibrant cultural scene, especially for those art forms that don’t enjoy mass appeal.

A measure that would have a negligible effect on the federal budget might have a catastrophic effect on the non-profit world.

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Laptop Arts and Culture: Exploring Big Ideas and Great Art during a Great Recession

by Andrew Hazlett on February 22, 2009

in Art,Big Ideas,Books,Cheap Culture,Digital Culture,Education,History,Media,Movies,Music,Ways and Means

Looking for things to do when you are unemployed, underemployed, or just plain scared of spending money?

If you can afford to stay connected to the Internet, you now have access to a vast repository of enjoyable, intriguing, and edifying cultural content.  And a lot of it is free, cheap, and/or legal.

As mentioned here recently, science fiction author John Scalzi recently put together his own comprehensive family entertainment package for less than $100 per month with things like Netflix, Rhapsody, and a public library.  Scalzi’s list is a good starting point, but there are many cultural resources available for less than, say, the $20 it costs for the privilege of entering the Museum of Modern Art.

Cultural enrichment can be free or low-cost, especially if you look beyond “blockbusters.”  Today, there is more enlightening material available more widely than ever in human history.  From highbrow to lowbrow, and everything in between, there is an explosion of expression… more than any one person could digest in a lifetime.

Now is the time to explore that long tail of cultural production other than the biggest and latest thing.

From Project Gutenberg’s electronic editions of classic literature to historic music performances on YouTube, the most enduring works of our culture are suddenly the most accessible.  The Library of Congress has been steadily digitizing its treasures of American history, music, and culture…  it’s all free at the American Memory website.

For more contemporary fare, there is a flowering of creativity and energy to be found in podcasts, online video, ebooks, blogs, etc.  The only problem is how to start drinking-in this ocean of expression.

A great place to look for digital gems is the outstanding website, Open Culture, which is indexing these free cultural riches.

Which brings us to another advantage of the digital age… the ease with which people can share discoveries and insights with others.  Blogs, aggregators, and magazines can help us search out the best and most interesting content on the Internet.  Online social media provide unprecedented opportunities to converse with others who share idiosyncratic enthusiasms.  It is a wide open frontier for growing knowledge and experiencing art, and it is almost always free for the taking.

Where does this advice leave booksellers, public media, performing arts companies, arthouse movie theaters, and museums?  Anyone who can afford it should patronize and support these institutions as much as possible.  They are far more valuable than the nominal fees they charge.  Still, many of these institutions are adapting to the current environment.

Many museums have dropped admission charges entirely.  One way of engaging in cultural activities that would be otherwise out of reach is to volunteer on their behalf.  Who knows, maybe helping out for free could lead to a new career?

The arts and the humanities have always been sources of consolation, rejuvenation, information, or distraction in tough times.  Reading in history, matching music to mood, satisfying long-deferred curiosity… these are all important activities for mental and spiritual health and for a practical understanding of the world we inhabit.

As our Great Recession continues, these seemingly ephemeral things will only seem more important.  Thank goodness they are more available now than ever before.

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Now reading…

by Andrew Hazlett on February 16, 2009

in At Home in the World,Books,India,Ways and Means

In Spite of the GodsEdward Luce, a correspondent for the Financial Times, drew on his years in India and his eye for business and policy to explore the emerging Indian economy.  So far, it appears to be a judicious and balanced account of the rise of a new, democratic world power.  It’s not all a tale of “India Shining,” as the boosters call it, nor is it a story that ends with last November’s massacre in Bombay.  More later.

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