Will Maitland Weiss

It’s on page one of the New York Times arts section: “Groups Advocating for the Arts Feel the Pinch”—so it must be true.

Pinch? Pinch!! It’s brutal out here.

In the Times’ piece, opera patron Robert W. Wilson (not the guy who directs/designs) calls arts service organizations “redundant.”

I worked at City Opera for ten years while he co-chaired that board, and have a sense of his passion, generosity, and strong opinions. But sorry, Bob; you’re out of touch with the needs of small and mid-sized nonprofits.

I’m with Reyn Levy, who counters, “Arts organizations can do some of this [advocacy, training, etc.], but their business is generating and producing art, not generating resources for it.”

Levy is also smart enough to know, I bet, that while his distinguished organization’s advocacy is first and foremost for Lincoln Center, we service organizations advocate for—were created to advocate for—the field as a whole.

We Arts & Business Councils and Business Committees for the Arts relentlessly pitch the private sector with the messages of all the arts’ positive impact: economic impact, civic engagement, workforce attraction and retention, development of creativity and innovation, etc. So, too, the arts councils and alliances and local arts agencies of many names, pitching the public sector.

Of course I worry for my service organization in this economy. There are too many Bob Wilsons out there and—worse—too many people who don’t get the arts’ value to their community, their business, their kids, at all.

Given the financial constraints, I think what Alliance for the Arts is doing, merging its valuable work with the Municipal Art Society and WNET, is fabulous.

Maybe the Alliance will have passed on in name with Randy Bourscheidt’s retirement, but they are saving the programming. Right now, tomorrow, and in the long run, the arts need their services. And every community needs the benefits of the arts.