The candidates and the arts

From Swan Day News:

Although history will judge the United States on the quality of our artistic expression, there has been almost no discussion of arts policy in the mainstream coverage of the current presidential campaign. When future generations look back at us, will the U.S. be honored for its cultural achievements? How will the candidates ensure that the U.S. is an enduring inspiration to the world?

There are substantial differences between the two candidates on this issue. Barack Obama has assembled a National Arts Policy Committee of 33 arts leaders (approximately half are women), and with their help he has drafted a two-page platform in support of the arts. (See http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/additional/Obama_FactSheet_Arts.pdf) The Democratic platform includes a plank that echoes Obama’s views. (See the text below.)

In stark contrast, neither John McCain’s website nor the Republican platform lists the arts as an issue. Even in the section of their platform that deals with education, the Republicans stress a “back to basics” approach and do not mention the arts. (See http://platform.gop.com/2008Platform.pdf )

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Obama states that he will advocate for legislative changes to streamline the visa process (which has been very restricted since 9/11) to make it easier for artists and students to visit the U.S., and he supports a change in the federal tax code that would give artists a break by letting them deduct the fair market value of their work (instead of just the costs of their materials) when they donate their works to charity.

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One of Obama’s most interesting ideas is his plan to form an “Artist Corps” of young artists trained to work in low-income schools and their communities. Programs like this that create jobs for artists have often been the most effective forms of arts subsidy in the U.S.

There is more, of course, at the full article and the links to the party platforms.

For myself, I think that promise to loosen the censorship of foreign works is highly important. If I remember correctly, the reason for prohibitng the import of translated materials from certain countries was to stop terrorist materials from coming into the country. Unfortunately, such a rule also bans cultural exchange. And cultural exchange is what lets us see humanity and not just “the enemy.”

Of course, more money for the arts is always good.

By the way, Swan Day News has this interesting sidebar:

The National Endowment for the Arts is the federal agency charged with “bringing the arts to all Americans,” but it seems unlikely that they will succeed since their current budget of $125 million represents only 42 cents per citizen per year.

We often hear that there is not enough money for the arts because funds are needed for social services, education, or health care. But the truth is that 42% of the $2 trillion federal budget goes to the military.