(00:00:00) And the time is 12 noon. Good afternoon. (00:00:07) I'm Malcolm McClain. president of United Arts It's a pleasure to welcome all of you to Minnesota meeting today. We also extend a welcome to the radio audience throughout the Upper Midwest who are hearing this program on Minnesota Public Radio broadcasts of Minnesota meeting are made possible by the law firm of up and Heimer wolf and Donnelly with offices in Minneapolis. St. Paul and major cities in the United States. Minnesota meeting is a public affairs Forum which brings National and international speakers to Minnesota members of Minnesota meeting represent this communities leaders from corporations government Academia and the professions United Arts has been serving the Twin Cities for more than 30 years through fundraising allocation of Monies to Arts organizations provision of a wide range of Technical Services to individual artists and arts groups and Service as an advocate for the importance of our cultural establishments within the larger society historically a Saint Paul Ramsey County institution United Arts has since 1985 devoted itself primarily to assisting smaller and midsize darts groups throughout the entire Twin Cities metropolitan area, very importantly, of course, including Minneapolis. We plan to raise 1 million two hundred and seventy thousand dollars this year fund at varying levels 30 Dance Theater visual literary and musical organizations and provide Technical and developmental training and counseling to about 500 Arts organizations and 2000 individual artists through our resources and counseling division. It is our distinct pleasure and honor to join with the Minnesota meeting in presenting today's speaker built-in roads president of the new york-based American Council for the Arts a leading Arts advocacy and lobbying organization. He was actively involved in helping block a recent proposal from North Carolina Senator. Jesse Helms to cut funding to controversial or potentially offensive art. Although the Helms amendment was essentially defeated Rhodes who spent 14 years as executive director of the Arts Council in Winston-Salem, North Carolina feels artists and their supporters need to re-educate Andre justify their positions, since they are dealing with a different group every three to four years. He will discuss the strategies he and other supporters of the Arts must use to secure funding for their projects in these times of increasing politicalization of the Earth's roads feel strongly that Federal support of controversial art is crucial in a Democratic Society. Following his presentation questions will be addressed from the audience. Please use the cards at your tables to jot down questions for discussion. Steve Young and Sonia Karen's will move among you to manage the question and answer session. And now again, it's a great pleasure to present open roads president of the American Council for the Arts Hilton. Thank you very much Malcolm. I'm delighted to be back in the Twin Cities and in Minnesota. I'm an admirer for 25 years. I've been in this business of what you all had done here in so many different ways in your institutions in your foundations and your corporate Community. It's a model for the rest of the country and look to to speak with you today about some issues that I think are Central to the the Arts and Humanities and actually the nonprofit field as we as we move into the 90s and and beyond your institutions like the Guthrie and the Walker and The Art Institute and the Ordway and the Science Museum and United arts and compass and so many of the smaller struggling organizations like Teatro Latino and the numerator at the theater all a very important part of what's going on in America and and you are to be commended for that very special effort. But I'm not here to Just Praise you I am here to ask for your help. 1989 was an eventful year for all of us. I think the important events like the swearing in of a new president two major national disasters the earthquake and the hurricane and South Carolina and the shift in the Communist World toward this new democracy have caused Americans to examine their own substance and values and think through some of their mechanisms for getting important issues out and about in our public. I think we're much more reflective about what's going on. I think one event that is forced has become aware of this our basic rights of free speech and expression has been the controversy surrounding the National Endowment for the Arts. And what I want to do today is talk about this controversy want to give you some reasons why the Arts are important to us in America today and then take a look at some specific actions that I think you can help us with as individuals in, Minnesota. I think as I enter my mid-40s. I know I look a lot younger. I often think about how many things have changed that I never would have anticipated just recently. I attended my wife's 20th year class reunions and Lenore North Carolina and young man named Alegria presented a piece that I'm going to paraphrase. I thought this could set a stage for discussion of our future down said when some of us grew up that we were before the pill and the population explosion, which went hand-in-hand for us time-sharing meant togetherness not computers or vacation homes a chip mint a piece of wood or something you carried on your shoulder and Hardware came from the hardware store and software wasn't even a word. And closets were for clothes. We were not before the differences between the Sexes were discovered but we were before sex changes. We just made do with what we had. We were before disposable diapers Walkman the Susan B. Anthony dollar tape decks CDS Electric typewriters with memory copiers word processors music and made in Japan meant junk. Now things are made in America but owned by Japanese. I recently saw a cartoon of a group of Japanese men holding up champagne glasses singing. This land is your land. This land is my land. We talked about there is some validity to it. We're living in a time when major changes are coming and thousands and thousands and thousands of more to come if there's any phrase that sums up my general feeling about The nineties I think it would be that I have a feeling of cautious optimism according to John Nesbitt The noted futurist and the author of megatrends to now. I quote it was removed from an industrial society into an Information Age. The Arts will replace Sports as the predominant Leisure activity in this country in quote. His ideas such as these which inspired me to choose as my topic for today's remarks know when to run the Arts and a changing Society. It's also the workplace giving programs that are now being established in cities like Louisville and Cincinnati and Milwaukee where payroll deduction where solicitations are occurring on company time where paychecks are chosen by individuals to withdraw from their from their weekly or monthly salaries and amount for the Arts where we have 25 cities now that are incorporating this particular program where we've proven that if you give Americans a chance to give to the Arts as other Health and Human Resources agencies are Given that special chance that people will give to us so I'm cautiously optimistic but you got to know when to hold em and know when to fold em and know when to walk away and know when to run and bless Kenny Rogers hard at an Arts Gathering where an Arts leader might get up and use that ticky-tacky country-western phrase that may seem strange to you. But in my mind it's a time for running for involvement and running for values. Talking again about freedom of expression and freedom of his speech and be prepared to react to often times the activities of the far right and some in the evangelic all movement, but more importantly for us in the Arts field. We've got to anticipate what's going to happen. And if I could put this in a little more of historical perspective, you know that ACA sponsors our national lecture annually on the Arts and public policy. It's called the Nancy Hanks lecture on arts and public policy Nancy was our leader in the late 60s and early 70s in Washington who ran our National Endowment for the Arts under president President Nixon gave had a talk a couple of years ago by Arthur Schlessinger who's a noted historian and Arthur said in an observation that in our quote our political life Flows In cycles and displays a fairly regular attention. Fairly regular alternation between the private interest and the public purpose as its governing orientation from this perspective the private interest of the 1980s or a reenactment of the private interest of the 1950s as the 1950s were a reenactment of the private interest of the 1920s in the same fashion. The nation turns it 30 year intervals the span of a generation to public purpose idealism and affirmative government Theodore Roosevelt ushering in the Progressive period in 1901 Franklin Roosevelt the New Deal in 1933 and John Kennedy the new frontier in 1961, and if the Rhythm holds and all indications are that it is holding the 1990s should be a decade of innovation experiment and idealism turning the cycle of which the Arts which have thrived in earlier eras a public purpose will again be the major beneficiary in quote. All this leads me to this point in this world of change. We're constantly being forced to evaluate and our artists in America those creatives that you would call in your corporate Community composers. The playwright's the choreographers the visual artist the sculptures the fin the film and video artist on the Vanguard and on The Cutting Edge of issues that shape our nation and our world oftentimes. This process is forced upon us through these Fast Track ideological messages, which attempt to persuade us through these 10 or 30 second spots in our busy lives were often tempted to take a quickly received concept and run with it. My son's now watch on that remote control for different television programs at once. There are other times in our lives when people try to force these Concepts and messages on us which are completely unacceptable to our basic beliefs in these instances. We are forced to re-evaluate and carefully think through the changes. Affecting us John frohnmayer who's our new Nan New National Endowment for the Arts chairman from Oregon needs our help now in this particular time of crisis in Washington, most of you know that the Nea is now operating under a compromise bill, which states that funding may be refused for obscene art. If it is without serious literary artistic political or scientific value in this bill is the result of the controversy over the funding of two works of art to artist Robert mapplethorpe and undress Serrano these artists Drew national attention Last Summer. When did Senator Jesse Helms from North Carolina led the effort to penalize the Nea for funding work that he considered to be obscene Senator Helms broader amendment was rejected by both the house and the senate in some view the compromise adopted by Congress as a major victory. I don't the Nea and the Arts Community have been maneuvered into a defensive position by Jesse Helms and his supporters. This is insane because out of the 85,000 grants that the Nea has issued over the last 25 years only 20 were deemed controversial and even if it's 200 like the Chamber of Commerce just recently came out with as a major controversial works of art piece that's still a very minor part of the good that's been done by the Nea and now the Arts Community being placed in a defensive posture as had to defend ourselves against this censorship language, which is financed primarily by the American Family Association and by Bob wild one who had its leader as a community we must bring these guidelines. Which prohibit our freedom of expression to a halt and John is frohnmayer is trying to shift to some of the more positive elements that we have agreed upon as a field over the last five to eight years to put that that into the national agenda John from our I call in a recent talk with with Dana rohrabacher who is a republican from California after a meeting to explain our concepts of what we do with any a with which followed with Dana rohrabacher in the American Family Association Distributing the major ad in the Washington Times and Washington Post after seeing that John farmer says that his his information was distorted inflammatory inaccurate. I would say that it's a pack of Lies. I would first like to address myself to the wise of Arts. Advocacy that is why is this crucial moment in our history for Arts? Advocacy? And finally the how of art sabes Que? How can you as individuals help us? So why is this a critical moment in the history for Arts Advocacy? Number one this any a any H Helms controversy is bringing the Arts field together believe me. We are as disparate and is split apart as any field going in this nation today the love between our brothers and sisters is immense. We get along very well together. But it would be incorrect to say that this controversy has never surrounded art or that the Nea has never been threatened for centuries art has been viewed from time to time as scandalous of seen drapery was painted over Michelangelo's Nudes on the Sistine Chapel and Ulysses and Lady Chatterley's Lover and the Tropic of Cancer were all published privately because others wouldn't do it in Mark Twain's Huckleberry. Finn is still banned in some schools in America today and the fact that we've allowed censorship to weave its way into the u.s. Government sponsored and controlled agency is the issue that's new and it's the issue that calls us forth to advocate for our basic rights of freedom of expression artists, like scientists explorers and entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial lawyers and ministers and Akram additions and computer specialist challenge us to think and act differently oftentimes this process of discovery pushes us to our limits. Very few of our artists have chosen religious symbols. Sexual behavior and body parts is their medium for expression a very few many of us will take their efforts as Artistry others as pornography on these great issues of the day the women's movement homosexuality the flag patriotism changes in the Catholic Church abortion lackadaisical voter involvement, the cynicism about politics. Our artists are going to be on the Vanguard of that thought. My notion is I stand before you today as we couldn't and we shouldn't limit their freedoms. I'm an adult and I don't want Jesse Helms or Tammy Faye Bakker or Jimmy Swaggart or anyone else telling me what I can and cannot View and this is American in America adults choose what they want to see and what they want to do and I like to quote from one of the leading independent sector and arts advocates for the last 300 years, which is who's Kenny Dayton. I'm sorry to say 300 years if you're here, mr. Dayton, but I'll quote from Kenny from a speech he gave last year one of the great reasons for your artistic development in this area. We've attracted kept and motivated great artistic directors because we've given them the freedom and the tools to do their thing. (00:17:49) We (00:17:49) put them on a pedestal put them at the top of their organization chart. We've accepted their vision and their leadership. We've tolerated their mistakes. We've encouraged them to be bold and to think big and aim for excellence the best of my knowledge. We've never censored them. I've used that a lot this fall. Believe me. When I look at the commercial industry that we support through the not-for-profit sector three hundred billion dollar industry in this nation that supported by the not-for-profit sector. Show me one creative that didn't get his start through a class in arts and crafts in some school or in some institution in case of musicians and artists and Craftsmen throughout our nation's major business industry. The commercial industry is a 300 billion dollar industry. We put a hundred and seventy 1 million dollars into it at the federal level that's peanuts. The states are putting 250 million in it and struggling now that the states are running through the tax problems that they've had in overestimating revenues, but now pluralistic system, even if you have expanded audiences over time, our pluralistic system is based on 50 to 55 percent of our income coming. From earned income through ticket sales and class fees and admissions the rest of it. We have to scrap for in the beauty of our system that is anyone system as part of that overall support bases in trouble. We can pull from one to another and now is the time for that because State local and federal government all support the Arts and what happens at the national level and also times as you know reflects back down to the local and state and then back up the line and there are many many controversial things as reported by our government. I mentioned the other day the two billion dollar B-1 bomber with a nose gear didn't come down or the Napalm back in in Vietnam or the 21 billion dollar savings and loan industry talk about obscene. How about some of that? Talk about RJR Nabisco earlier today and some of the work that was going on the waste of money in the corporate world so that we're not immune to this in our country and the three or four different instances have wreaked this habit on the Arts field havoc on this art sphere is really not a fair shot. So why should the Arts be left out of government support? I don't think it should I think it's important for all the people of our nation to be involved in the Arts and I will get into some of the reasons for that in just a few minutes the controversy. We should stay out of controversy where we can't stay out of the controversy artists are going to be in the middle of the controversy. Dr. Bernstein who's the chairman of the philosophy Department of the new school for social research recently addressed a group of New Yorkers and others from around the country at a public forum on Government funding for the Arts and he (00:20:38) said, (00:20:40) And I quote democracy needs indeed requires controversy. It needs the imagination of different opinions in order for a democracy to live and to flourish. It must work to Foster Real controversy, which is based on different conceptions of the good life of what is good for the public art and humanistic learning or critical necessity. They raise up ideas of what ought to be is opposed to what is and for this reason any government that considers itself Democratic must also consider it a fundamental responsibility not only to sponsor but also to encourage the arts for its critical role in defending and improving democracy. So when we're trying on in that quote when trying to convince our leaders of this, we remember we need to remember that the national issues favor us at this time, and these issues are education reform. Arts education is an important part of Education reform sequential K-12 classroom curriculum based Arts education is something that stimulates kids to learn music art dance visual art in the schools are all very important parts of a child's learning experience for all children across the state Across the Nation as a major education crisis in America and many things have not worked in education reform. We were one of the solutions to this education crisis our experiential Arts programs that are provided by Our member institutions like the walker in the Guthrie all involved in arts education in some way are very important to the imagination and the spirit of the school but it is our primary responsibility as Arts institutions and people who favor the Arts to be active in trying to get a music teacher that's there every day. During the basic school day and we must find ways to do that and get Educators to consider that a priority of Education as we move forward. Secondly. It's literacy movement is upon us. We've got major problems in the corporate world. And finally we have some attention being paid to it. Miss bushes taking this on as a priority with her involvement at the federal level and I think we're directly involved in that and because of time I'll stay off of that but I would mention that Marsh Tannenbaum who's a very important thinker or formerly from Bell Labs who is a vice chairman of AT&T said it on National Convention of special quote that I'll use here the art stimulate a students curiosity and creativity the help them see the world in new and different ways. But today they're even more utilitarian Spurs for linking Arts and Science a blending of the Arts and Sciences can submit a foundation for learning how to learn a trait that is proving all the more critical in a time when knowledge simply won't stay put So we have education and literacy and third multiculturalism and access today our boards and our staffs and our programs across our nation are being influenced by large numbers of Asian Hispanic and black groups along with the Eastern European nations that have been in America from for many years our boards our staffs in our programs need to change to reflect the demographical changes that are happening in our communities and many new Arts organizations are developing and I won't stay on that one, but I think that's a very important one as is the next which is the international changes that are happening to us. All the Arts are more and more getting involved in numerous kinds of activities or recently heard of the children's theater. And in this area and the Dale warland singers which are going to Scandinavian and on to Russia the Arts open up communications channels, like no other particular area and Colleen Dewhurst and Theodore bikel and others who for years have been abroad working in Russia. Now that's all beginning to pay off and we'll be at the Vanguard of what happens in this International movement that's happening in the United States. I don't need to mention this one particularly in this area, but it will just briefly and that's the revitalization of our cities. I recently heard that 80 of the hundred counties in North Carolina have old theater Renovations that are going on as part of the downtown revitalization and using adaptive reuse to spur on economic development in our city cities and then last would be the tourism area which most of you know, what's happened in Charleston and the two billion dollar industry in New York and la and so on you hotels and shops and restaurants in areas where abundant cultural activities exist and artists move in and then eventually are forced to move out because of the gentrification that goes on but the Arts are very important part of the tourism tourism industry. So these six areas kind of briefly mentioned here fall into three groups is I see it as the national dialogue one quality of life. To education and three economic development the Arts field crosses them all. Trying to sell Art For Art's Sake we will continue to do that. But we need to make ourselves a part of these major national issues. Even if none of these issues grab you for civic real reasons, you should do it. You should support the Arts in ways that you haven't done before and show me a better bang for your buck for the Long Haul solution to many of the nation's problems and I'll be surprised the long ago you here were pioneers and developed this cultural amazing cultural experiment which is paid off for all of you particularly as I see the weather today. And what else are you going to do your regarded as one of the two or three model States and model communities for the nation, but the competition here is getting Keener and Keener the whole not-for-profit sector is under attack. And as I get into this next part of my talk, I would use my independent sector where my independent sector board member hat and get into some of the Notions. Our that are plaguing us at the national level the corporate world. I don't need to mention the corporate mergers and Acquisitions the changes in the personnel and the foundation's offices and so on in the government area. I've mentioned the any a controversy, I would mention tax reform many of the changes. They have effective substantially particularly the lack of the none itemized deduction for 75 million dollars as we broaden our base to include more in our basic programs. Those tax deductibility privileges are not there for 75 million Americans the gifts of appreciated property. Those gifts have gone down from over a hundred fifty million dollars just a few years ago to be less than five million dollars last year to America's museums. In the corporate area of mentioned those already so I won't get back on those again, but there are a number of things that I think that you can do to really help in this experience number one. With you the Minnesota meeting is probably not necessary to say but you've got to absolutely educate yourselves to the issues of the day and your voter turnout is as high as any in the nation probably the highest of all and so your citizens are more involved in others, but probably there's 25 to 50 percent that are still not even voting. So you got to get specific about what your goals are and one of our goals is to get rid of that compromise language that was adopted last fall. Secondly. We want to get 15 percent of each school day devoted to the Arts and we want to units required for graduation of all students. And those are coming out of these coalition's at the national level in the Arts that have been created over the last few years. Secondly, we've got to get our trustees active and you as citizens have got to get active in this in these issues on every board that you sit on from church or synagogue to health or social service agency to fledgling emerging Arts organization to Black and Hispanic or Asian Arts organizations. You must set up a board committee. On government and public affairs and you've got to have somebody monitoring local state Regional and federal government and politicians. You just will not survive as an agent. If you don't encourage your trustees, they become active in government decision-making at the city and the county and the regional and state and National levels. I don't believe our trustees in the not-for-profit sector understand the depth of the problem facing our agencies and institutions and the influence they can have on National Arts policy the cumulative effect of all these changes is potentially devastating and if you need advice on how to form a government public affairs committee is a group called a Minnesota citizens for the Arts and at the national level use our agency the American Council for the Arts third. I would involve you to get involved in the political mainstream. So many of our art supporters are Democrats and for many that's very good. But let me say there's another party out there and half of us need to be over there working just as aggressively Recently as you've been working in the Democratic party a third. Excuse me. I'm sorry. I knew I'd get in trouble on that one. But we as Americans have a two-party system at this time. And we need to have our Arts people involved in both parties and influencing as we have done in the past through Republican and Democratic Administration. Those key leaders who affect the Arts you would be a rare exception if these Federal actions I've mentioned here are our have not mentioned some of the others how they will affect you in the future become in the mainstream by making your senators and representatives aware of the issues affecting you and the Arts in your community and third fourth would be say what you believe because when you do this by either using the materials that are that are given to you and you can explain these issues and plain simple terms. I think people in leadership positions for Will help us the independent sector has great information on tax reform. I'm currently wearing this button here today, which is a give five button, which is something that many of the institutions here in this area have have supported and it includes giving five percent of your time for voluntary activities are five percent of your gross income to charity. Fifth point would be form a Grassroots lobbying effort and cultural Affairs committees. I think we got to give cash to candidates. I think we cannot expect that. The Arts are going to be exempt from political life without cash contributions other parts of our society do that and we have not yet joined in that in the ways that we need to in the future. Last Point here and what we can do is that form the coalition's that are necessary with the other elements that are under attack the coalition's and education the coalition's on the environment. We're all involved in those issues at the heaviest of levels. So Helms and his supporters of place the Arts community in a very defensive position, which will play goes for years to come but as we leave the Reagan buildup in armaments the self-interest and greed era of the 1980s and as we enter into a new world of democracy and vision, we must as people who care about our society spread the word broaden our reach and listen to others we must be open to people of other ages and colors and cultures for this is what all of us in the art stand for in the Arts are an essential part of the global society today. (00:32:12) I've (00:32:12) tried to highlight through my thoughts about why the Arts are critically important to our nation and around the world today. I remain cautiously optimistic about the potential success of this very Broad and diverse field which includes individual artists Arts organizations audiences trustees and people who give from foundations and corporations who love the Arts and consider them essential to Americans today. I think it's a time for running for involvement for substance for values for freedom of speech and freedom of expression and there are moments in history when these chances come but somehow people Americans Rise Up from the mediocrity and the mass culture and the lack of involvement and I think that time is coming and you as an individual must run not walk for what you believe to be important in this democracy definitions of the public good of the public good will be re-written in the next decade as we as Americans are defining the limits of that phrase others in our world are just opening those doors. Recently, I mentioned 1989 and as I began my remarks I thought about the tumultuous Year my most Vivid memories of the young guy in front of that column of tanks in China. Defiant at risk a martyr for Freedom. That guy is a symbol of America's early freedoms. Probably an (00:33:44) artist. (00:33:47) As a look at the image of the young East German on the wall with them holes of water blasting in his face. I thought of him as a symbol of our freedom of expression over the years probably an artist as vaclav Havel in his New Year's Eve address. Has a quote from president vaclav Havel here to close. My talk. Czechoslovakia is new leader. The playwright (00:34:14) said and I quote (00:34:16) it would be very unwise to think of the sad Heritage of the last 40 years only as something foreign something inherited From A Distant relative. On the contrary we must accept this Heritage is something we have inflicted upon ourselves. If we accept it in such a way we shall come to understand. It's up to all of us to do something about it. (00:34:38) and he continues (00:34:41) let us make no mistake. Even the best government the best parliament in the best president cannot do much by themselves freedom and democracy after all mean joint participation and shared responsibility. And if we realize this then all the horrors that the new Czechoslovakia democracy and Heritage ceased to be so horrific if we realize this and hope return to our hearts in quote vaclav Havel. Thank you. Thank you very much. Mr. Rhodes. (00:35:24) Again for our radio audience. This is a Minnesota meeting (00:35:27) with mr. Milton roads, who's the (00:35:28) president of the American Council for the Arts at this point in our program as usual. I will be Fielding your (00:35:35) questions and comments from this half of (00:35:37) the room and Sonia Karen from that half of the room. If you have a question or a comment, it's raise your hand or catch our eye and will come to you with the mic and you can raise your issue. Mr. Rose. Yes back here. But while I'm walking back, mr. Rhodes, (00:35:55) something is depressed me recently was a little piece in the New York Times by one of the creators of (00:36:00) MTV Music Television, which my children watch perhaps too much and his point was that the creativity in our society has now transcended the written word. We live in images and that's why political campaigns consists of 30 60, maybe 15 second (00:36:16) bursts of images (00:36:18) and my question is that their arts and they're also Arts if we really have lost the written word. Part of artistic life haven't we lost something? I'm just terribly profound if the controversy over Robert mapplethorpe was a controversy over images visual images. (00:36:35) If we lose the written word. Don't (00:36:36) we lose a way of (00:36:37) thinking we do I think that the nation has had a period of time where across busing in the South and transitioning into the new groups that have moved into our country in the economic area and transportation and so on have caused us to be very cautious about how much we put into education programs in our nation teachers salaries are up for discussion throughout. I think that over the past few years we've begun to concentrate on improving education, but we haven't gotten there yet. We've just had the plan come out from the from the governor's that have mentioned that education is a top priority, but I think over the last 15-20 years, we've had a we've had a problem in one of the problems that is occurs is the first in the Beck's to go have been our music art dance and theater teachers in our schools. And I think you as Community leaders in this in this town would be astonished at how few music art dance and theater teachers. There are who serve your people even in Minneapolis st. Paul and when you get out beyond that in the rural areas of Minnesota, even I would say that you'd be even more astonished at how many people over the last 15 to 20 years have not had that experience. Thank you Emily and Staples. (00:37:54) Mr. Roads are leading right into my question because my concern is academic Excellence. We recognize athletic excellence and when athletic programs are being cut in the school's why there's a tremendous outcry by all the citizens when Arts programs are being cut very little has ever heard and you have some words of wisdom on how we can make people more aware of rewarding and giving incentives for academic excellence in artistic Excellence. Yeah, I think competition with athletic (00:38:20) Excellence. I think we're getting there. I'm from South Carolina as you can. For my accent it was not as strange as 50% of those people on the plane when I flew into Minneapolis because they were Hispanic and Japanese accents the from 50% but my accent is okay now than America, but in South Carolina was recently there with the Department of Instruction elected official who said yes, we've had a gifted and talented program here in South Carolina for a long time. It's called our football teams, but he said it's 5% of our our population have been involved in there another 95% who want to be active in these these other Pursuits and I'm encouraged by that. I think there are a number of states like Minnesota and South Carolina and Washington State who are really seriously looking at Arts education as a major source of change in their education Reform movement, so I think it's coming but it's taken a long time most of our principals and superintendents. Ksjn. Out of the same kind of background that many of you have come out of which is the sports background particularly those in leadership positions. There's only (00:39:33) yes. Thank you. Mr. Rhodes for a moment. I'd like to talk get back to the Nea I'm speaking as an artist and as a part-time Arts administrator, should we be devoting our efforts to educating legislators are elected representatives to the delicate task of publicly funding the Arts in a (00:39:51) democracy. Now your Minnesota people weren't very active in the controversy. I must say with a few exceptions Bill frenzel and was but beyond that it was hard to find a supporter when it came time to really get up and stand up and talk about it those of you in this in this town and in this community can can do something about that by contacting them and telling what you feel we need to have the support from Minnesota as we were talking Miss Pillsbury earlier today. We've we need you guys to lead again. You are you are very important to us in this Arts Movement in this nation. If your people who are in the Congress and in the Senate, don't take a stand on this we're going to have a difficult time. Thank you for that comment. Thank you question from Joe and Karen (00:40:37) your first amendment thing gets us into a little trouble seems to me because it's unfortunate protect stupid ideas from X TV commentators from North Carolina as it does bad art or great art. And my question for you is this is not clear to me. Are you suggesting a strategy don't know the Arts becoming more intertwined with government and it seems to be if that's the case we're begging begging or putting ourselves into these political messages or are you suggesting strategies in a variety of weaning ourselves from carbon a bit over the next decade? (00:41:05) I think there is a large element of artists who would like us to wean ourselves from government support altogether, unfortunately, because I think in our pluralistic base, we need government to support what we're doing. I'm not at all saying withdraw at all from it. I'm saying that in government we're going to have special actions that are going to be taken by a few of our cutting-edge kinds of artists who work in body parts in sexual behavior and other issues that are that are there and I think The legal standpoint we've got a right to be involved there. The problem has been in the political side where we've had certain far right congressman who have taken it on as one of those causes of the day and if you use that to traipse across their districts to show how offensive we can be and at this time we need to get on the offensive and get out there and show the good things that we do you can find fault with anyone if you look hard enough and believe me, we got a lots of little chinks in our armor and for those few chinks that we have that are viewed by some as chinks for others. They're not and this is America and the individual artist is going to you know offend and cause problems from time to time. We have to support that follow-up John (00:42:19) just briefly but it seems to me that that's of course Milton that we're just inviting the kind of Oddball idea being tossed into the political Harper periodically by a constituency of some kind and I'm curious whether you're seeing evolving strategies. Another particular State levels that are setting up independent more independent sources of funding for a perhaps, even the most controversial art and in a way of avoiding that and over the over time. (00:42:42) Yeah. I haven't seen that yet. Maybe that's one of the solutions in the future and hopefully some leadership can come out of this community for that (00:42:51) question back there and for my keys I'm actually asking a similar question to what was just ask but in a different way. I'm wondering if we have a problem that goes beyond the Jesse Helms Amendment. It strikes me that the Nea is funding of 20 controversial projects out of 85,000 is far too few. Doesn't the Nea have a special responsibility to promote controversial art? (00:43:21) very good observation I'll take that one (00:43:26) on. I won't. (00:43:30) Next question. Hey will give you will give (00:43:32) you a chance for a question from Janet Leland. One of the things that concerns me is that freedom of speech is one thing. We also have a lot of there's a rise of racism and anti-Semitism in our country. A lot of it's coming out in groups like guns and roses and iced tea and other types of artists that are mixing freedom of speech in with lot of hate messages. And and how do we go about supporting freedom of speech without supporting ideas that majority of people might find repulsive. (00:44:04) Yeah. I think that's it. That's a problem and I'll try to address that. I know that the jury system is not perfect in our nation in our justice system. And I know that the peer panel review system is not perfect in our system of justice, but it's the system we've got and we fly in to Washington 800 individuals each year to make determinations from around the country. About the art that decisions that need to be made judgments by our peers is the way the British system that we adopted in 895 1776 and 1782 in our basic Bill of Rights was what we adopted and it is the best system we've got going today. There are some some ideas of trying to change that and generally We As Americans make the right decision. I don't know that we make that many mistakes and even if the ones that were mistaken Robert mapplethorpe to me was not a mistake, you know, I saw the show I saw that there were five out of a hundred and fifty pieces that were that were what Jesse Helms call controversial and the ones that he photographs and takes around North Carolina to show to the Civitan and Kiwanis clubs, but to see his works of of photography on People's faces who are famous and to see the flower exhibits that he's done and for him to after he's dead to get all the grief. He's getting now over that over a few pieces that he you know, he had a difference in behavior and sexual behavior. That's a bum rap. The one on child pornography to me was not a child per child pornography picture and but the basic point is that our peer panel review system has done a pretty dog gone good job over the years of shielding us from that kind of major controversy. And I think as time goes on you will have some Defiance that will come if the continuation of the obscenity language occurs a lot of our artists and arts institutions will quit dealing with the endowment. I think a lot of the panels will throw up more controversial and more controversial works. We will not be immune from it our artists and our Arts institutions are right in the middle of the thick of things and they've got to get more active and involved As Time evolves. This is a Process for America Government funding has only been around in our federal level for 25 years. And we now up to a hundred and seventy 1 million in George Bush's recommended an additional 3 million dollar increase for the first time since 1981. And those are good signs. So I think the peer panel review system to me is the best we've got and somebody can come up with a better system. Then we're looking for it. (00:46:55) Thank you Sonja question Arlene Williams how much concerned you have that the National Endowment for the Arts will remain as a funding body. (00:47:05) I'm on 50/50 today. Tell you about the National Endowment is up for reauthorization this year. We have to get our agency reauthorize this year. We had our first reauthorization Hearing in Los Angeles on Monday. There was a very good testimony on Arts education by Ann Reynolds the chancellor of the University of California system. Another by Judy Baca who's A muralist from the spark a group in in in the Los Angeles region, but and John from are also talk, but outside there was a large group of artists who were demonstrating against reauthorization of the Nea who were if you're going to fund it with these restrictions. We'd rather not have it and so we've got a serious time here and that's what I'm saying. Is that Congressman Williams from Montana who's up for re-election. This year has got a serious problem in his own district and said Yates who's running for re-election has a candidate who's running against him named Stu eisendrath from from Chicago who's running against idiots who has long been our Defender at the Federal level and this young man is raised a million for to put into The Campaign which is undergoing right now his television and radio are going to be out. So we're liable to lose a number of our key defenders in this particular congressional election that are coming up most of you know that Congressman Pell who is in his 80s is is Chairman of the subcommittee on education. He's also chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee who's the Republican senior cohort with him on that committee Jesse Helms. So all of these issues that come along that affect Nicaragua and Philippines in other places. There's this horse trading that's going on in the political scene and Congressman pail is in his 80s as is said Yates. So we've got a difficult time this time the Arts Community cannot let their guard down and that brings me to a good thing you can do specifically and that is we have an advocacy day in Washington and their artists and arts organizations who are gathering or March the 20th in Washington. To support John frohnmayer any a chairman and I hope that that all of you will try to get there if you can or at least do something here and this state that can show some support for what we're trying to do (00:49:19) again for a radio audience. This is a Minnesota meeting with Milton roads president of the American Council for the Arts question from Sally Pillsbury. Yes that I'm going to ask a question about Arts education that we have a debate in our state and and I'm probably going on another states to as between an arts high school or having the art curriculum mainstream throughout the state and you have comment on that. (00:49:46) That's right. That's not a question. That's an observation that both are needed. You know, I'm I'm an adult and have a nine year old and a 15 year old and now one that's out of the hopper and school somewhere and I want for my kids. Both if my son is gifted and talented. I want him to be able to have that advantage of going to that school. I want him to have a regular classroom teacher that's involved and informed about the Arts in history in English and so on I want to have a music specialist in the school that teaches them, you know once a day or once a week or as much as possible and I think the debated for me at least and I don't have to make those budget priorities at the state level, but for me, it's all of the above and those of us in the support systems in the Arts have to look at it as a long long term situation where we help in all those areas and try not to make it into a fight against the big institutions versus the the art music dance and drama teachers that are there that need assistance. (00:50:53) A question from Jack Becker. (00:50:56) Just first a comment that all peer panel here panel review processes are a form of censorship in the fact that they're trying to protect us from things. They consider immoral or pornographic or what have you and it is a good point that was brought up earlier. Are we trying to encourage controversial activity or we trying to discourage as an artist who works for the city of st. Paul? I just want to make a point that bureaucracy is an art form to and we ought to try to encourage more artists to become more integrated in the system and participate as Citizens and not look at 5% but a hundred percent. Very good comment. The the artist I would say have come out on this issue and that is refreshing because I've been working on the streets around the country to try and get artist active and involved on these committees that that work on these national projects that's been very difficult because you want to work you take time away from your daily activities of painting or drawing or whatever you do. It's very difficult to go sit and be a bureaucrat and serve on these panels that have these decisions to make but they've come out in these instances and if there's a hearing up here where artists are going to be there in large numbers and it's incumbent Upon Us those of us who work in the bureaucracy of the association of American museums or the American Symphony Orchestra League are within my organization to include artist on the boards on the staffs on the and particularly in the programmatic decisions that have to go on in the future over these controversial works. So I would underscore what you're saying and I think This issue has galvanized the field in a way that it hasn't been galvanized before. Thank you. (00:52:44) Mr. Rhodes. I think the next question will come from someone who will disagree with you that at least half the group should be Republican. I think he wants sort of more than 50% The next question comes from a republican activist George Pillsbury. Well, first of all, I would like to challenge your comment that more people should give quote cash to our elected officials. I have a feeling that implies that they are subject to bribe and I don't think that's the case. I think what our elected officials really like from their constituents is good advice good information and work in the political campaigns, but yes cash but not to the point where it might be considered bribery. But the secondly I would like to really ask the question is that Wouldn't it be almost a priority to encourage the government to use the tax code and go and encourage gift and giving by making giving one more attractive to those who have funds and also by that way they are incensed funding the charitable organizations. I (00:53:54) think that that is one area. The tax reform has really penalized the not-for-profit sector and in the examples that I gave the gifts of appreciated property the Alternative Minimum Tax changes the lack of the non itemized of deduction are all areas that are affecting us substantially when you add all that up together, that's a major at risk part for our long-term development places. Like Minnesota have been leaders in the private sector support of the Arts. But as we broaden their base and as we brought The mainstream of society into our cultural institutions often times those donations have not been able to keep up with the spiraling cost of our institutions and I think that over the next few years, we've got to get those tax laws back to our positive to our positive benefit and that's an area you can help us with but we still can't avoid the government involvement in the Arts. That is a unique American System. We only really get about three percent of our total funding for our major institutions from the federal government and another 3% from some of our state funds and others from local government funds, but we need that government balance to keep us in good in good standing in the future. Thank you for your comment. (00:55:15) Milton I'm Jim czarnecki. Mm, Minnesota Museum of Art in st. Paul write the balance of that funding does come from the private sector both through earned income in through contributions. The expansion of that is not as large as perhaps the expansion of our organizations themselves and the number of new organizations that are coming in to serve public needs Community needs. I think I'm seeing this throughout the entire independent sector. How are we going to balance those limits on Resources with the kinds of needs that our institutions feel we need to do the scope and quality of (00:55:48) programming. I think that's what brings me into the the Arts Theo being a part of the broad Push by the independent sector to get involved in the give five efforts. And I think that we were talking earlier this group is not the group to talk to this is the group that is involved primarily, but there are Millions of people in this state who are not active and involved and we have not found the best way yet to do that except through basic United Way's and voluntary action centers and so on but in the Arts, we've got to become a part of that political mainstream and that is one of the political mainstream things in the private sector that is happening. I know a lot of the companies here in foundations have been active in give five and that's commendable but we've got to broaden that base of involvement in support and that means for all of us as Arts administrators and others who run the not-for-profit sector to take on more committees than you can handle and that are mean it that way. I mean that you've just got to broaden the decision-making power with responsible kinds of actions for these new volunteers that are out there today. Thank you our last question a short one from Bill Miller. I want to thank you for your gracious complement of Minnesota citizens (00:57:02) for the Arts the advocacy organization here in our state. My question is (00:57:07) the senator Helms (00:57:08) Realize how much he's helped the reputation of Robert mapplethorpe and the career of Andres Serrano and by he's become sort of an anti Patron like the Medici and by extension on that. Can you talk about the positive effects of this episode demonstrating the impact of up on Art and (00:57:26) Society where we don't have but a minute or two, so I'll have to make this one short. I think that the positive effects is that finally the Arts field is working together and the realize that the artists organizations have got to get involved in the decision making that goes on for them and the Arts institutions have to open up and have arts and artists and arts are emerging Arts organizations as part of their responsibilities in communities. Thank you very much. Mr. Rosen. Thank you Milton. Thank you very much for a very stimulating speech and for fielding a number of questions very well, indeed. We thank you for coming out here. We assure you that the sun does shine in Minnesota from time to time and come back with it is now The special (00:58:09) and we'll leave our broadcast now Minnesota meeting Milton roads, the guest speaker today. He's president of the American Council for the Arts speaking live at Minnesota meeting before I got to the question and answer session the title of his formal remarks were know when to run the Arts in a changing Society. Li broadcasts of Minnesota meeting are made possible by Oppenheimer wolf and Donnelly providing commercial corporate litigation and international legal services to businesses in 40 countries around the world. The forecast is for Skies to turn sunny in the southwest this afternoon and partly sunny in the Northeast temperatures will be mild ranging from the low 40s in the Northeast to the mid-50s in the southwest live coverage of issues and events is made possible by the public affairs fund contributors to the fund include the law firm of Opperman Hines and penguin with offices in Minneapolis and Washington, DC. I'm Catherine winter. I hope you'll join me this afternoon for MPR Journal our daily summary of news from around the region on today's Journal a look at a plan to keep struggling newspapers alive owners of Publications that serve minority communities are banding together to try to attract advertising also today. We'll hear from the Gopher basketball team their regular season ends this week and so does two years of NCAA probation. The journal is broadcast at five on our music stations 5:30 on our news stations Catherine winter making her debut as the host of MPR Journal today sitting in for Gary eichten major funding for Minnesota public radio programming provided by 3M maker of Scotchgard brand protectors. That's midday for today. This is Bob Potter. This is K. No W Minneapolis st. Paul in the Twin Cities now a combination of drizzle and fog 35 degrees the visibility about a mile.