The Oklahoma House subcommittee suspended a law that requires a percentage of the funds spent on public projects to be used for public art. Under House Bill 1665, Rep. Leslie Osborn says that this will eliminate the Arts in Public Places Act for the next three years.
The Arts in Public Places Act was initially passed in 2004. Whenever the state has building renovations or projects that cost $250,000 or more, 1.5% of the cost is allocated towards public art projects. More recently, the Arts in Public Places program has been suffering due to revenue shortfalls. $500 million is the anticipated deficit for the upcoming fiscal year for the state of Oklahoma. Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, said that “We ought to be building a lot more bridges than pictures of buffaloes on freeway walls,” while Rep. Leslie Osborn said: “Government needs to focus on its core functions.”
Public art programs add vibrancy and excitement to a city. I believe that politicians need to start supporting artistic projects instead of cutting them for the sake of balancing the budget.
http://newsok.com/law-deferring-arts-program-passes-panel/article/3542879
Unfortunately, many leaders today seem to share the same sentiment as Rep. Reynolds regarding the arts. I wonder what they would think if all of the arts in their cities or states just disappeared. I don't think it would be a pretty picture.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Aubrey. It is really unfortunate to see these leaders' attitudes towards the arts. They need to look at other things to cut (other than the arts) when they balance their budgets.
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