Shades Of Things

Bill Glahn – who you need to be reading, by the way – on the Minnesota Orchestra debacle as a bellwether for how Big Art gets funded:

I suspect we will see more of the Minnesota Orchestra-type of dispute in the next few years. Since the financial crisis of 2008, the business models of a whole range of industries are no longer viable. Until we collectively figure out what’s next, the irresistible forces of “we can’t go on spending like this” will be crashing up against the immovable objects of “we don’t want to give up what’s been ours for decades.” A new model will eventually emerge to bring the fine arts to patrons. In the meantime, the adjustment period will be painful for everyone involved.

If there is any good news, it’s that the institutions and industries that go through the adjustment first will be best positioned later on. Those that cling to the failing system loner will end up in liquidation, rather than reorganization.

If you support art (if not necessarily Big Art), it’s an interesting time, in the full Taoist sense of the term. 

For starters, the biggest institution supporting Big Art – Big Academia – is also on the bring of an epochal shakeout.  The era of Big Institutions Who Do Things For Your Own Good as a whole seems to be fizzling, slowly – up to and including that biggest Institution That Does Things For Our Own Good, Big Government. 

I can’t imagine it means good things for Big Public Media – one of the other key patrons of Big Art – either.

So what will the epic restructuring of Big Art mean for art?

12 thoughts on “Shades Of Things

  1. I have a simple definition of art: it must be more creative and have better production values than what drunken frat guys or a 6-year-old can produce.

    As such, the destruction of Big Art is actually a big plus for real art.

  2. It’s a pretty high price to pay for what amounts to a cover band. (I keed, I keed)
    Reason did a series of videos on how to save Cleveland a few years back. Even though Cleveland proper was swirling the bowl, nearly every political / government figure interviewed noted how great the arts / classical music / high culture scene was there. This was all supported with public money of course. Gone were the days when the wealthy took their millions made building up industry in the area being the patrons of the arts. As was noted in the series – all the museums and concert halls were named for some turn of the last century Capitalist who put up the money to build and fund the joint only to let some government enterprise take over and ride the thing into the sh****r. Worker’s Paradise indeed.

  3. The musicians rejected $104K a year with ten weeks’ vacation. Show of hands here — how many people do you know who are compensated that handsomely?

    The argument they’re making is that no one will work in Minnesota because they can make more money elsewhere. How many of the musicians are willing to test that hypothesis?

  4. It’s worth noting that orchestras were historically the province of the aristocracy, and that the aristocracy in big cities. Petty princes had string quartets and such. So as much as I love orchestral music, I’ve got to wonder what the future is for them. Our “aristocracy” today doesn’t really go for this.

  5. The Orchestra’s annual budget is bigger than the Guthrie Theatre, it’s almost entirely provided by taxes laundered through various government hand-out agencies and big corporations buying class, and still they’re short $6 million.

    Face it, musicians, Minnesotans really are blinkered pig-ignorant Philistines who’d rather watch Miley Cyrus twerk than listen to your long-haired dirges, but we hold the checkbook. If you think the grass is that much greener somewhere else, don’t let the door hit you in the . . . .

  6. The idea that the state uniquely embodies, or puts into action, the spirit of the people gained wide acceptance in intellectual circles in the early 20th century. We are still dealing with the fallout from that mistaken idea.
    This resulted in the belief that state sponsored art was more legitimate than art sponsored by any particular social class.

  7. How can this happen? We passed a big sales tax to support the arts. Now the flagship art institution in the state cannot pay its musicians enough? This is impossible. The state voted for the sales tax increase to support this very activity. I mean go back and read the publicity on the reasons to vote yes on the sales tax. This was going to be a permanent source of income so that the orchestras, etc. would not have to go begging. This situation is unthinkable. Right. I mean I was told that if I voted against the sales tax, the orchestra would be gone. Ooops. I guess they were right.

  8. It’s true that the orchestra has never been able to make enough to pay the bills through ticket sales to pay the bills, but they were not alone with that. The Twins, the Vikings, even the hapless football Gophers could never sell enough tickets to make them financially viable in Minnesota. The orchestra doesn’t differ from the sports teams in their need for public subsidies.

  9. OK, deficit of six million, 50 musicians or so at $100k apiece…..am I understanding correctly that despite massive tax funding, this group is running a deficit as large as payroll? Who do they think they are, the federal government?

  10. Emery said: “The orchestra doesn’t differ from the sports teams in their need for public subsidies.” This statement implies equivalence.

    Let me help you with that, Big E: “The orchestra doesn’t differ from the sports teams in their DESIRE for public subsidies.”

    Both want handouts and neither should get them. I completely agree.

  11. Here’s a link to their annual report. Looks like the actual payroll is closer to $12 million with about 80 musicians. Pretty good wages, at least until you consider that a top rated instrument can cost more than a house. Also, it’s hard to figure out the actual subsidies–there is a million in official subsidies, plus other areas where money is granted to capital and long term projects.

    That said, it does appear that their subsidy, at < 10% of overall budget, is far less than that received by our sports teams.

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