Molly Woulfe, Times of Northwest Indiana
The state has drawn the line. Indiana has slashed its downsized arts budget by 20 percent.
Yet local artists and advocates are hanging tough. Call it second nature.
Art, sculptor Neil Goodman reminds, "is not for the fainthearted."
While artists are born romantics, they are driven to create, said Goodman, chair of the art department at Indiana University Northwest. "You just do it because you need to do it," he said.
Forget the starving-artist myth. Most local artists hold day jobs to support their passion, said Goodman, who also teaches at IUN. These professionals "are very tough-minded ... I would say they're one of the most resilient groups," he said.
This resilience extends to region arts groups. They're forging ahead in a nation beset by economic woes.
Of the 50 states, 37 reduced arts funding for 2010, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies reports. The average cut was 19 percent.
It could have been worse, Hoosier arts watchdogs note. Gov. Mitch Daniels originally sought a 50 percent cut in funding. The Indiana Arts Commission and regional partners protested, spurring the 20 percent compromise in a special legislative session.
Neighboring states weren't as lucky, IAC spokesman Rex Van Zant said. Michigan slashed its arts budget by 80 percent, Illinois cut 52 percent and Ohio trimmed 34 percent.
For Northwest Indiana residents, accustomed to the volatile markets for steel and petroleum, making do is nothing new. Creative minds are working harder -- and smarter -- to stretch art dollars. As Van Zant puts it, "They're planning ahead instead of starting out by saying, 'What shall we cut back?'"
The can-do attitude starts at the top. South Shore Arts, which distributes IAC grants in this region, held a Regional Arts Summit last fall. Braced for a budget cut -- the nonprofit arts advocate received $225,947 this year, down from $269,328 in 2009 -- the SSA discussed preserving one's mission without sacrificing quality at the summit. A popular suggestion: Good shows, shorter runs.
Alternate forms of revenues were explored as well. The SSA led the charge, bagging a direct $50,000 grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Likewise, the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra and Ridgewood Arts Foundation snagged stimulus-package funds, SSA chief John Cain said.
The importance of individual donors can't be overlooked, Cain said.
"We're finding individual donations are way up this year," he said.
The Theatre at the Center is banking on it. The Munster venue -- overseen by Ridgewood Arts -- has launched a "$20 for 20" drive to mark its 2010 anniversary season. Supporters who chip in a budget-friendly $20 will be acknowledged at the theater and on the Web site.
The theater also is testing a subscriber discount card program and seeking corporate partners to sponsor school trips to shows, marketing director Patty Spillers said.
"The economy has not only hurt arts organizations, but schools as well," she said.
Like many venues, the theater is proceeding with its customary, five-show season. But productions will run five weeks, down from six (the farce "Noises Off" kicks off the season Feb. 18). The streamlined slate will allow the venue to bow a new series of theater workshops "for kids ages 5 to 105," Spillers said.
Local actors will be paid stipends to lead classes on subjects ranging from movement to mask-making. Surviving in this economic rundown "calls for a lot of juggling and innovate, creative marking," she said
At the Brauer Museum of Art at Valparaiso University, curator-director Gregg Hertzlieb has elevated dollar-stretching to high art. When his budget was reduced 20 percent last year and his three-person staff downsized to two, Hertzlieb began cutting mats and framing works himself to save money.
The hands-on approach "is a good thing," he said. "I'm finding I'm learning a ton. It's really provided me with an opportunity to learn and get to know a show, from building it from the ground up."
Major savings hinge on new strategies he's implemented for acquiring shows. An exhibit of prints by abstract expressionist Jasper Johns was available for $10,000. Reluctant to splurge, Hertzlieb began networking. The result was a hit show of paintings by Indiana Impressionists, works owned by local collectors "who were very generous with loans," he said. "We ended up having a very nice exhibit without any fees."
Another sleeper: An exhibit of vintage railroad china loaned by Valpo alum Jay Christopher, which attracted many first-time visitors and broadened the museum's scope.
"And it was something right in our backyard," Hertzlieb said.