Author: Monroe Metropolitan Arts Resources Committee

Publication Year: 1971

Media Type: Report

Summary:

In 1971 a task force of the Metropolitan Arts Resources Committee conducted an economic survey, the primary purposes of which were twofold: First, to identify the financial needs generated by the arts requirements of the people of Monroe County and the resources available to fulfill those needs; and second, to evaluate alternatives available to close the gap which was expected to exist between requirements and the resources available to meet these requirements.

Abstract:

Introduction:
In 1971 a task force of the Metropolitan Arts Resources Committee conducted an economic survey, the primary purposes of which were twofold: First, to identify the financial needs generated by the arts requirements of the people of Monroe County and the resources available to fulfill those needs; and second, to evaluate alternatives available to close the gap which was expected to exist between requirements and the resources available to meet these requirements.

The results of the 1971 survey demonstrated very graphically the arts in Monroe County is big business; that the magnitude of this business is in the millions of dollars. In 1970, the most recent year for which actual figures were available, the combined budgets of the arts organizations in Monroe County exceeded six million dollars. Projections in 1975 indicated that these budgets would aggregate in excess of nine million dollars. What was in many ways more dramatic and particularly more unsettling was the fact that expenditures exceeded income by an aggregate amount of approximately $400,000 in 1970 and that anticipated aggregate deficits would increase until by 1975 they would approximate $2,000,000.

The Finance Committee of MARC was charged with the responsibility of developing a second survey in 1972 as a means of not only evaluating the results of 1971 in comparison to the anticipated results as indicated in last year's survey, but also extending by one year the aggregate expectations of the arts in Monroe County.

Summary:
The statistics compiled in this report indicate that arts in Monroe County is an increasingly big business with dramatically increasing expenses. The growth in total expenditures in the past five years from approximately $2.7 million to approximately $6.8 million is an increase which is becoming increasingly difficult to finance. The cost of operating the arts in Monroe County has far out-stripped the ability of these same operations to provide adequate funds; funds from private sources have just kept pace with the increasing costs.

This leaves Federal, State, and local government to provide the funding to prevent the ever-present budget gap from reaching totally unrealistic proportions or on the other hand requiring substantial reductions in the services provided by arts organizations. The budget gaps projected through the next five years indicate an urgent need to place great emphasis on controlling costs (hopefully without reducing services) and at the same time making maximum use of the resources which are or may become available. (p. 1, 8).

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Creative Economies