Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Save Indy's Arts Budget!
Do you like this story?
It is time to speak up. Get your voice heard now and head over the following site and vote. To do so, simply leave a comment on the site along with your name. This grassroots site, Save Indy Arts, is looking to gather a considerable number of Indianapolis residents vote via a petition to be submitted to the City County Councilors and to Mayor Ballard. Their budget hearing is coming soon, August 11th, so please direct all your friends and family to this site and show your support for arts funding.
From Save Indy Arts:
I feel so strongly about this issue that I’m stepping outside of my comfort zone and taking a stand. I have created a blog, Save Indy Arts and want to see if I can garner 1,000 positive responses in support of the arts by the Aug. 11 budget hearings. 1,000 virtual signatures is 1% of the Greater Indianapolis population – the same percentage as what Indy currently dedicates to the arts. Here is the link. Let me know what you think – and if you are open to lending your support and your name to save Indy arts.
While the sites math may be off or simply a typo, it is important to get everyone who supports the arts and arts funding to go and sign their petition, vote. If the goal is 1%, we should strive for a minimum of 10,000 votes. Visiting the site and virtually signing the petition takes no more than 2 minutes time. Do not hesitate and send people to the site before August 11th.
An aside rant:
With their current plan, as I understand it, to phase out all arts funding within three years time is simply dreadful. Especially when you consider that would coincide with our, oh so important, Super Bowl. If this is what the local government wants, and it indeed plays out that way, then perhaps we need to make our presence (or rather our absence) known. If all funding to the arts is cut, I then call for all the arts organizations and those other industries that support the arts, to make their absence known. The week of the Super Bowl, go on lock down. Lock your venues up tight, the whole week long. No galleries, museums, music venues, theaters, etc. That means you too, marching bands. Sophomoric? Perhaps, but we need to make our voice heard. I imagine the city will be spending a good chunk of our money for this one day sporting event, we deserve our arts funding in exchange.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 Responses to “Save Indy's Arts Budget!”
August 5, 2008 at 11:26 PM
Scott, I love your "arts lockdown" idea! remember the "Day Without Art" actions in the 80s, around funding AIDS research, being that AIDS is a disease that severely affected the art community?
Great idea.
August 6, 2008 at 2:44 PM
Yeah, destroy the city's image to make your point. Cut off your nose to spite your face.
Great, great idea.
August 6, 2008 at 4:43 PM
Scott,
To date, 500+ people have taken the 2 minutes at Save Indy Arts to post their support. You are right that my math was off (and has since been corrected) but 1,000 signatures is still the same percentage of the population as $1.5 million is of the city budget. Both are 0.1%.
Thanks for encouraging people to take the time and sign up.
August 8, 2008 at 10:01 AM
anonymous, that's the idea of a PROTEST: make the powers the be question whether a $1.5 million action on their part is worth the results that will occur from the protest. If the whole country is looking at Indy on Super Bowl day - and they will be - isn't it in the city's interest to look good, and wouldn't it be embarrassing to look otherwise?
This city should be ashamed to say we are trying to be "world class" and concerned about brain drain and yet be eliminating arts funding. If there is no art during Super Bowl week that shows the world where Naptown's priorities are.
August 18, 2008 at 10:06 PM
before signing this petition, everyone should read her website more closely. she supports the mayor's current budget proposal which "includes $1,000,000 for the arts", not mentioning the cut of $500,000 from last year. also, make note that she believes taxpayers shouldn't be burdened by this responsibility and the "save the arts" campaign is really designed to have you signees raise the lost money yourselves- shifting responsibility from the government to individuals. read the content, guys- she's a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Post a Comment