Milwaukee arts groups lobbying state for aid
Organizations point out huge return on ticket tax
Wisconsin is beginning to slowly open up after the coronavirus outbreak, but arts and cultural organizations worry that they won’t benefit that much — at least initially — from a loosening of the state-imposed lockdown.
And with their revenues basically gone, some are arguing they should turn to state government for additional financial help.
“We’re the first ones to close and we’ll be the last ones to open,” said Chad Bauman, Milwaukee Repertory Theater executive director and co-chair of a working group within Imagine MKE, a coalition of arts, cultural and civic leaders founded in 2018.
In April, the United Performing Arts Fund reported that its 14 member groups, including the Milwaukee Repertory Theater and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, were projecting a collective $8.3 million loss in revenue due to the coronavirus.
Wisconsin generated a little more than $1.5 million in arts agency revenue in 2019 but ranks 50th in the nation in public funding on a per capita basis for the arts, according to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. Minnesota is first and Illinois second.
State Rep. Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee), a member of budget-writing Joint Finance Committee, said “arts funding has not been a priority in Wisconsin” for years.
“What we have done over the years is contributed the minimum to receive a matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts,” Goyke said. “We will spend what they will match. But in the last decade, we have not been politically willing to exceed that match.”
Wisconsin legislators turned down Gov. Tony Evers’ request to increase arts funding, Goyke said. Given the likely state of state finances, it might be a heavy lift to gain additional taxpayer support in the new budget cycle that begins early next year.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (RRochester) and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) did not respond to requests for comment. Generally speaking, Republicans have tended to believe that private funding is a better way to support arts and cultural groups.
Arts groups face much uncertainty
Nevertheless, that combination of a big revenue loss because of the lockdown and relatively low state funding has arts organizations worried about whether they’ll survive COVID-19.
In mid-March after Evers put his safer-at-home order in place, arts and cultural businesses shut their doors. But even now that the order has been lifted, it’s uncertain how soon those groups can safely reopen to the public.
“When we look at some of our peer cities across the nation, many cities have begun to invest in the arts, recognizing that not only arts organizations provide that inspiration and connection for people to make sense of what’s going on, but also the artists can be looked to as an incredible, creative workforce that can guide us through this moment,” said David Lee, the CEO of Imagine MKE.
Lee points to Illinois and Washington.
Amid the COVID-19 shutdown, some theaters and studios have closed for good in Illinois. But state officials and art advocacy groups have worked to help the remaining organizations in need through the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund.
Earlier this month, the fund announced that $3.3 million had been awarded to more than 900 artists and more than 150 cultural organizations across the state in response to the pandemic. Illinois’ funding is provided by a mix of donations and public sources such as the city of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
The state of Washington also has allocated dollars, from that state’s budget, to support its local artists. According to Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, the pandemic devastated the city’s arts and cultural organizations, and her community was among the first to respond.
Although Wisconsin arts organizations have received some federal money through relief bills signed into law by President Donald Trump, leaders don’t think it’s enough to sustain their businesses. “There have been specific funds for arts organizations through the CARES Act, but for Wisconsin, it’s very little. It’s based on per capita average, and so Wisconsin got a tiny amount of that,” said Lee. “When you think about the scale of what’s happening, it’s not commensurate with the scale of the response that I think is necessary.”
The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded nearly $30 million of CARES Act funds to the nation’s 50 states. Of that $30 million, Wisconsin is receiving $543,750, according to George Tzougros, executive director of the Wisconsin Arts Board.
Milwaukee organizations are hoping state government will boost its support to plug the gaps, especially since the state taxes ticket revenue.
“Every single year we (the Milwaukee Rep) send about $400,000 of tax revenue to the state. We get back about $30,000,” said Bauman. “So, the state is enjoying a 90% profit from arts and culture. If they want to continue to have that source of income in the future, they need to make sure that we’re alive.”
Bauman argues the state should invest tax revenue earned on ticket sales into arts and cultural organizations.
But Goyke doesn’t expect additional funding anytime soon — at least not the next state budget process begins early next year.
Some arts organizations might not make it until then, Bauman warns.
“If you were to ask me, ‘Are arts and culture organizations going to survive without additional public support,’ no, they’re not,” said Bauman. “There’s going to be a lot of failures, particularly if this drags on for a long time.”
Lee is more optimistic.
“Many of our elected officials call our arts and cultural organizations ‘Milwaukee’s best-kept secret.’ And I think part of our job is to make sure we’re no longer a secret,” Lee said.
Patricia McKnight is an intern for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Ideas Lab. Her work is supported by a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization that promotes reporting about responses to social problems. Email: PMcKnight@ gannett.com