Bau’s Blaug
The latest news from “the Big Cheese” – Executive Director Bau Graves.
Economic Stimulus
Congress is poised to pass the latest gigantic economic stimulus plan, and the Treasury has announced an even larger new bailout plan for the banking industry. The House version of the stimulus legislation included a very modest allocation for the arts — $50 million for the NEA, amounting to 6/100 of 1% of the total package – but it was stripped out of the Senate version after both Republicans and Democrats objected that support of the arts does not constitute economic stimulus.
Dear Congresspeople, allow me to present economic stimulus exemplar number one: the Old Town School of Folk Music. When Old Town School moved into the former library at Lincoln Square in 1998, this stretch of Lincoln Avenue was derelict. People worried if it was safe to come here. The School rebuilt an abandoned historic building, created new and sustainable jobs for several hundred creative workers, brought hundreds of people into the neighborhood every single day, offered an extremely broad range of free, public, family-friendly events, and jump-started the revitalization of Lincoln Square. Today, our neighborhood is thriving, filled with restaurants and retail, and allegedly it is one of the few areas in Chicago where property values are still climbing.
There are several banks in Lincoln Square, but you cannot convince me that the renaissance that this neighborhood has experienced is due to the opening of those bank branches. Old Town School was and is the most potent economic stimulus package in this part of town.
Artists’ jobs matter just as much as bricklayers or bankers. The “creative economy” in aggregate comprises more than 4% of the national workforce – more than either bricklayers or bankers. What is wrong with our government, that refuses to offer support to those with a positive track record of actually providing an economic stimulus, while offering more billions to those whose greed caused the current crisis in the first place?
Filed under: Uncategorized by Bau | February 12, 2009 | Comments (0)
