By Joyce Kryszak
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-931713.mp3
Buffalo, NY – Cultural groups that would be eliminated from next year's Erie County budget are closing ranks. Two leading advocacy groups are coordinating to challenge the county executive's proposed funding cuts. A facebook page also was created to build solidarity among those known on the site as "Cultural Workers of Erie County."
The flash mob that was held downtown earlier this week to protest the proposed cuts was big on drama, but perhaps less impressive in numbers. Only about 30 people participated. Vincent O'Neill from the Irish Classical Theatre Company said there is probably a good reason for that.
"People are numb at the moment. people are absorbing the shock of this," said O'Neill.
But he said that numbness is wearing off.
O'Neill is president of the 23-member Theatre Alliance of Buffalo. The primary purpose of the Alliance before now was to share resources and marketing efforts. But O'Neill said their energies at the moment are being spent trying to get the word out about what's at stake.
"We've already lost Studio Arena. But imagine we also lost Sheas. We lost Irish Classical. And we lost Alleyway. And we lost Road Less traveled. And we lost the Smith theatre," said O'Neill. "Just imagine on Thursday through Sunday what the scene would be like in the heart of Buffalo's so-called theatre district. It would be a ghost town."
That scenario is perhaps not being melodramatic. The county executive's budget zeroes out funding to all but the top ten cultural groups - 34 in all would lose all county funding.
And that would mean no county funding for any theatre company in the county. According to figures supplied by the alliance, theatres would lose between three percent and 21 percent of their budgets. One of the longest running and most beloved, Shakespeare in Delaware Park, would lose roughly $81,000 - or about a quarter of its budget.
But theatres are not the only culturals affected. Just Buffalo's Executive Director Laurie Dean Torrell called the proposed cuts reckless and dangerous to many groups.
"To just over night cut this level of funding to every theatre group, to all the organizations of color, your only literary center and some of the key cultural institutions in the community - Hallways, Big Orbit, Cepa, Squeaky Wheel - it's absolutely reckless," said Dean Torrell.
Torrell is a member of the steering committee for the Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance. The group of about a dozen diverse culturals formed earlier this year to give the arts a stronger position ion the community.
Torrell said now they really have their work cut out for them. Torrell said the steering committee met Wednesday to discuss what information they can present to the public to get them mobilized.
"You will be seeing things coming out over these next weeks in terms of some interesting statistics and talking points and things we've identified," said Torrell. "We want to try to change the conversation and keep putting accurate and interesting, correct information out there so that people can make good decisions, whether it's the public or legislators it's important for our community. We have widespread participation among all segments of the community and that sghould be valued."
According to a 2006 study, the dollar value of culturals to the region is roughly a quarter million dollars a year. They supported nearly 4,000 jobs and created roughly six million dollars of sales tax revenue for local county government. ICTC's artistic director O'Neill said undermining that is inconsistent with the county executive's own goals.
"Why would we destroy a growth industry? Why would we destroy one of the most attractive aspects of this region? " said O'Neill. "It makes no sense as a cultural decision, as a political decision, as an economic decision. On any level it's foolish and haphazard and very damaging."
But just how damaging? Well, O'Neill and others believe the county's smallest culturals, particularly those that serve minority populations, will be hardest hit.
He pointed to Ujima Theatre and the Locust Street Neighborhood Art Classes as two of the most likely to fold without county support. But even more stable groups, such as Just Buffalo would be hurt. Torrell said they leverage their $50,000 county funding to bring in much more. Without it, she said cherished programs would almost certainly be lost.
"For us that has meant using that money to bring home federal grants, state grants. We've leveraged about $200,000 with that investment. And its made possible, most especially, the Babel series," said Torrell.
The leaders of arts groups are not the only ones sounding the alarm. A Facebook page called Cultural Workers of Erie County had, at last count, over 180 people who said they like the effort to persuade lawmakers to have county tax dollars support the arts.
Local businessman and arts supporter Mark Goldman said the grassroots effort is encouraging. But Goldman said at his meeting next week to discuss the Waterfront he will try to further mobilize the arts community.
"My larger goal is to get the arts community, the so-called creative class, integrally connected to decision-making in this community - get them major seats at all the big tables," said Goldman. "We need to treat the arts the way the labor movement saw itself in the 1930's. I think the arts community needs to be organized."
That seems to already be happening. But it would take a tremendously organized effort to convince a majority of county lawmakers to unite in voting to undo the proposed cuts - and then stick together to overturn an almost certain veto.