(00:00:01) Well while the debate continues in Washington over Federal funding for the Arts. The Minnesota Legislature is also trying to decide how much State money should go to Arts organizations and last week members of the state legislature heard from world renowned violinist. Isaac's turn on the importance of Arts funding stern was in the Twin Cities to perform with the Saint Paul chamber orchestra took some time out to speak before a division of the state Senate's finance committee. Stern says the Arts are an essential part of a civilized life, but he says he now feels part of a small beleaguered band of faithful art supporters. (00:00:35) There is such a wave going on now particularly out of Washington against anything that has to do with governmental support of the Arts. I want no way. Am I qualified to speak to you here in Minnesota about your local situation. I can only give you an overview to some degree. FYI would have the temerity to accept an invitation to speak to you. I have a certain long-range view point I am now in the 60th year of April as a professional performer on the stage. In those 60 years. I think I've covered almost every place in this country some cities and towns that I'm sure that none of you have ever heard of a lot of changes have taken place. I was part of the founding membership of the National Endowment of the Arts. I knew President Kennedy very well. And President Johnson decided to continue the efforts that began under Kennedy at that time to create an endowment. In the years now particularly with the political events. The last election there has been a concerted move to attack the funding of the Arts. Now what troubles me is not the funding. It's the concept why why pick on the Arts as The Whipping Boy for so many things? What is the mindset of those? Who refused to recognize or unwilling or unlearn it enough to recognize the centrality of the Arts to the living quality of the country or the state in which we live. all through history civilizations have been marked By the artistic accomplishments of their citizens, that's what comes down to us. The laws by which we operate came from English common law. the concept of Liberty came from France the philosophical ideas of democracy came from thinkers and writers from all over the (00:03:15) world. (00:03:18) I doubt that there. Is anybody in this room? Going back. Let's say five or six Generations that has a great great great grandfather born in this country. We were all immigrants. This country was founded by immigrants. They came here to work to create to make a life of beauty and with it they brought their culture and the things that were important for them. They brought their songs. They brought their dances. They brought their talents. And those talents put together created what we have today in the United States probably the single highest standard of performance anywhere in the world as a general standard. There are perhaps two orchestras, maybe three in Europe who could measure up to our best other than those amongst the hundreds of arches. We have the top 25 or 30 will do more than anywhere else in the world. Now for whom do they play? It has been a long discussion about elitism. Elite is in fact, not a dirty word. The fact is five letters. How can you be a dirty word? But Elite is easily used to describe a striking force in the army or the elite corn police or Elite core or the elite team in sports. Why should it be demeaned and Dishonored in talking about the Arts and for whom are they speaking the idea? That the Arts are only for the wealthy. For the well-positioned share garbage absolute garbage. The Metropolitan Museum has four and a half million visitors a year in New York. That many Elite New York are not there. I can assure you I live there. before the fall before the National Endowment began there were a million visitors. the theater now with the support of the National Endowment and Regional Theaters all over the country. There are over 44 million. That's what a thing like the support of the Arts by the government means it means a stamp of acceptance. By the government which we choose to understand the responsibilities of government not only to their time but to the Future. I can get excited about this only for one basic reason. I've spent my life. And making music and talking with the violin and making love if you will from the stage through music. In the meantime. I've also been part of the lives of innumerable young people. Now every one of you that has anything to do with the law of your land the law of your state with the quality of life has to recognize that the single greatest wealth this country has is the talent. And the ability and the desire of its young people. We have more young people in this country of great talent than anywhere else in the world. When I say this unreservedly, I've heard a lot of it. There was an orchestra put together on the stage of Carnegie Hall last year by directed by Sir George Schulte. the great conductor of the Chicago Symphony former conductor of the Chicago Symphony there were approximately a hundred and five musicians. 17 were first chair men from various orchestras know to me 1313 were first chairman. All the others were young people from the ages of 16 to (00:07:47) 20. (00:07:50) and in three weeks there was an orchestra on that stage of young people who had never played together before. Guided by a master coalesced by professionals Who gave a performance that could not be matched by any Orchestra in Europe on that day or anywhere else in the world? What is that kind of talent worth now? How do they how do these talents get formed? There has to be education. It has to be opportunity and there has to be an outlet at the other end. They have to then become professionals. It is now thought that the private sector. Can take up where the government wants to cut. It never has and it never will. The single fact of the establishment of the National Endowment of the Arts and as well as the humanities in other areas created a greater outpouring of support for artistic institutions Endeavors and organizations than it ever been seen before. And support for the Arts is nothing new. We didn't start with the Nea with simply became its ugly became visible. Support for the Arts began with our tax law. We're the only major country in the world that has tax deductibility. For performing our nonprofit institutions churches universities and so on that is governmental support an arm's length, but it's governmental support and it meant a great deal to the growth of things in this country because the centrality of great fortunes the created origin and in Cleveland the auction Boston the Metropolitan Opera House no longer exists in that closely-held centrality. (00:10:00) every (00:10:01) child Is another point I must make before forgive me if I ramble on because this as you see I have carefully prepared notes. children in the school years between the ages of 6 and 12 when they're exposed to the Arts particularly music and dance (00:10:24) an early age (00:10:25) like that. Their marks in logic memory math and in Behavior goes up off the graph (00:10:39) why? (00:10:40) It's nothing unusual if you understand the basics. music starts in the womb of the mother with the beat of the heart That's the first temple. The moment the child becomes worn for sounds sound and Temple the basis of music and the basis of balance in the body and the psyche of the child you feed that and the child feels balanced. You let children work together in the Arts. Not only supported by but encouraged and insisted on by local government by state government by national government and you will find children who learn how to live together (00:11:35) how to respect each other (00:11:37) hatred. They don't learn in the Arts that is given to their parents and their teachers. but in the Arts they learn how to get along they have to And they learn to recognize each other's worth. These are the philosophical things that for me are basic. The Arts is not an occasional social ornament. They are basic to a civilized life. And if we want to be recognized as a Civilized Nation in the history books to (00:12:16) come (00:12:18) then we have a joint responsibility. there is additionally an enormous an enormous Financial return now, I don't know what goes on in st. Paul or Minneapolis or throughout the state, but I can tell you about certain other cities New York City, for example The economic impact of the Arts people coming into the museum to the theaters the concerts of the Opera the ballet. provide 9 and 1/2 billion dollars a year in New York City Granted it's a world center. But take that down to the per capita and see what it means. I have seen cities. Have helped open the hole. In Raleigh-Durham in the name of the first chairman of the National Endowment. Roger Stevens It was a rundown area in the city. They built this they rebuilt a theater created in a Performing Arts Center and within two years buildings were going up all around on the downtown was resuscitated. I don't know how many of you have access to or discussions with the leaders of industry in your state. But wherever there is a high-tech. Area where Engineers scientists mathematicians have to be in they will always look to see what goes on in the Arts in the area where they're being invited to (00:14:04) come to work. (00:14:10) I have said as much as I can say to you. There are numerous examples that I could give you figures. I suppose that I could call eight others will be doing that in time. But I can only give you sitting here a sense of my own. Feeling of desperation and shocked that there should be any question. That the Arts should be supported by the (00:14:38) government. (00:14:41) What do we owed who to ourselves if not the quality of life? We are willing to have our mail subsidized. We are willing to have roads subsidized. We're willing to have food subsidized. How much are we willing to pay to have the sole helped? How much are we willing to help all those young hearts and Minds that are out there? It can make this one of the gleaming lands of the 21st Century. How much are we willing to owe (00:15:23) them? (00:15:27) I thank you for listening and I'll take any questions that you may have. (00:15:35) Violinist Isaac Stern speaking last week at a meeting of the Minnesota Senate Finance committee's state government division.