By Joyce Kryszak
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-952943.mp3
Buffalo, NY –
Erie County funding cuts are straining many arts organizations in the region. Some of the hardest hit are the educational arts programs. And there is a double whammy for these groups. Most have lost both county arts funding and state educational funding.
In part four of our series, "Culture in the Balance," WBFO learns that at least one of these arts education groups did not survive.
The Arts in Education Institute of Western New York was dancing as fast as it could to stay on its feet. An artist in residency program two years ago at Niagara Falls High School, featuring Broadway star Jimmy Tate, was a prime example. Tate also stuck around to perform at the Institute's fundraiser. But none of it was enough.
"We were at that tipping point. If one piece had fallen in, I might not be here talking about this program closing," said Jackie Albarella, former executive director of the Institute.
The 30-year old organization shut down in December. Albarella said losing county funding was the final blow in what she called a "perfect storm."
They also lost state education department funding, state council on the arts funding, member item funding - and school budgets were cut. Albarella said it left them with no time to recoup.
"We had a new business plan, but we needed one more year of stability to do that," said Albarella.
Before shutting down, Albarella said they tried to link up schools with the Institute's 30 teaching artists. They can still contract independently with schools. But Albarella said that's not a good long-term solution.
"Unfortunately, the onus is back on the artists again to knock on those doors and really be a salesman, and be the accountant and the follow-up person and everything else - and artists really aren't good at that," said Arbarella.
And schools are not staffed to administer outside arts education programs either. Michele Agosto is Supervisor of Arts Education Curriculum for the Buffalo Public School District. Agosto said she has enough on her plate.
"I have 80 teachers under me right now, curriculum to think about, professional development for my teachers, events and exhibits and all sorts of other things," said Agosto. "For me to be the conduit to teaching artists would be really difficult. That really is a job unto itself."
Agosto said the district is committed to arts in the schools. And she said outside programs have been a huge part of that. She said it would be devastating to lose any more of them.
"What these organizations can do it's just something far beyond what our teachers can do," said Agosto. "And it's not that they're not capable. It's just the structure of being in a school system."
She said teaching artists work alongside classroom teachers to create lessons and activities that help kids develop the new tenants of 21st century education - critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication. Albarella said artists are natural education partners.
"It all has to do with being creative problem solvers. It all has to do with preparing kids to think, preparing kids to innovate. An artist's process is what helps a kid do that," said Albarella.
But more and more schools, in the city and suburbs, are quickly losing these valuable partners.
"If we don't have the NYSCA [New York State Council on the Arts] funding then the match is bare bones," said Ingalls.
Lucinda Ingalls is Executive Director for MUSE, Musicians United for Superior Education. It is another program seriously diminished by public funding cuts. For the last 20 years, MUSE has been using music to help teach kids about every academic discipline.
A few years ago, children at the Bennett Park Montessori School performed an opera they wrote themselves - in Italian - about the astronomer Galileo. The project integrated lessons in music, language, math, science and history.
It was one of 13 schools where MUSE had year-long programs such as this. Now they are in only three. Ingalls said poor children have the most to lose.
"Most of the schools that we serve have over 70 percent poverty rates," said Ingalls. "These are not kids who get sequential arts programming in other places. They don't take Suzuki violin, they don't take ballet. And, so the only place they get the arts are in the schools."
Still, not every arts education program is struggling.
Young Audiences of Western New York has a host of long-term programs, such as this one at public school #39 in Buffalo. Sixth graders, Josiah Mallory and Jordon Kerr are working with teaching artist, Annette Daniels-Taylor to write and produce a radio drama. It is developing writing and listening skills, public speaking and team building.
Cynnie Gaasch is Executive Director for Young Audiences. She said they had to leave 97 classrooms due to funding cuts. But all-in-all, she said the 50-year old organization is pretty stable because it has a diverse funding base, with 60 percent earned income.
But Gaasch said eroding public funding is a problem. Gaasch said arts education groups need to start lobbying together.
"Having a united front, being able to communicate the power of the arts in driving the region economically in providing better school districts," said Gaasch. "But if we're working alone we don't have as much power as if we're working together.
Arts education and other arts groups are slowly learning there is power in numbers. On Friday WBFO continues the series, "Culture in the Balance," with a look at an ambitious new collaborative effort to raise money for the arts.