Artless Pennsylvania

One of the best (and most challenging) jobs I ever had was at a local community arts center (The Abington Art Center, to be exact). I was hired as a marketing person to try to help them overcome some visibility issues they had (including being behind a huge stone wall) and raise their profile in the community. It was hard work, but so incredibly rewarding. I believed whole-heartedly in the mission of this art center, and some of the programs they created were just amazing. They make a real difference, every day, in the lives of their local children and adults.

One of my jobs there was the help coordinate a summer concert series. The Abington Art Center has an amazing back "lawn" (and sculpture park) that made the concerts perfect. I was in charge of these concerts for three years, and by my last summer at the organization over 1,500 people attended. You cannot imagine the deep and intense joy I felt each year as the lawn filled with people, and the children danced and danced. It made every minute of hard work (and the low pay that often comes with working in non-profits) worthwhile and a joy.

Arts organizations throughout the Philadelphia area have been a casualty in this economic climate. Individual funding is down as families tighten their belts, and both government funding and other grant giving organizations have been forced to decrease the amount of funding they can provide. I know every single arts organization has been affected, but I worry about the Arlington Art Center and wonder how they are holding up during this crisis because of my connection to them.

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, along with most of the arts organizations in the Philly area have decided to call attention to the financial plight of the arts by participating in Artless Pennsylvania today, 9-9-09. This means that all of the art galleries, art museums, and local arts organizations today will remain dark. Actors are not acting, dancers are not dancing, musicians are not playing. Some galleries will cover the works with black cloth, others will simply be closed.

Imagine no Philadelphia Art Museum. No Rodin Museum. No Fleischer Art Memorial. No First Friday in Old City, no art galleries. No Academy of Music. No Kimmel Center. No Arts Bank.

Doesn't sound like much of a city, does it?

If you believe that Philadelphia is a city that needs art, remind your state congressperson of the following quote from the GPCA: "We need to remind them today that the arts and culture are more than just a luxury - but they're an economic engine, an educational outlet for our region's children, and a means for understanding our world." Call you state senator too. Tell them you believe in the arts in Pennsylvania, and to bear that in mind as they continue to hash out the 2010 budget.

We need the arts. It makes our world a better place.

This is an original post for the Philly Moms Blog by Cecily Kellogg. You can find Cecily's more frequent diatribes at her personal blog, Uppercase Woman.