Arts support mixed in slow economy

Anyone worried about the status of the arts in the wake of Sept. 11 should have been here in mid-October.

New Haven's City-Wide Open Studios, part of the largest open studios event on the East Coast, featured the work of over 300 area artists in a two-week period. According to the Yale Daily News, Artspace, the event's sponsoring organization, generated over $50,000 in artists' sales ["City-Wide Open Studios ends after successful run," YDN 11/14/01].

"Artists were at first anticipating weakened [profits], but many of them actually sold more than they expected," Betty Monz, director of New Haven's Regional Cultural Plan, said. "A lot of people wanted the opportunity to get back out, and the Open Studios was a great format to experience art personally, in a community-based setting."

Certainly, arts organizations in New Haven haven't been immune to the effects of the ongoing war, the terrorist attacks, and a depressed economy. Yes, ticket sales and subscription rates are down across the board. Yes, foundation grants and corporate sponsorship are shrouded in uncertainty. And yes, a nationwide recession may well have begun.

Nevertheless, most organizations seem optimistic about the strong community base that has supported the health and growth of the New Haven arts scene. "People realize that we need the arts now more than ever," Chris Fran-quemont, director of development for the International Festival of Arts and Ideas, said.

However starry-eyed and optimistic one feels, though, it's hard to avoid the hard numbers. In line with trends across the nation, New Haven theaters have experienced significant drops in subscriptions and attendance rates. Both the Long Wharf and Shubert Theaters have experienced around a 20-percent drop in subscription rates since Sept. 11; the Yale Repertory Theater has also reported a decline. "For shows that would normally reach 75- or 80-percent capacity, we're only pulling in 55 or 60 percent," Anthony Lubanacci, director of marketing at the Shubert, said.

But the public's support of the theaters has not consistently declined. While new subscriptions are down, the Long Wharf has seen an increase in renewals. In addition, the Rep and the Shubert both reported a significant increase in the rate of individual ticket sales. "People seem to have a harder time making a commitment to plan six or eight months in advance; they say they `don't know where they're going to be in May,'" Vicky Nolan, managing director of the Rep, explained. "But they'll go out at the spur of the moment. We've had two comedies put up, and they've been very successful so far. The audiences have been very game to respond."

The country's new "climate of uncertainty" may be making people cling to what's familiar, Jennifer Manzo, Public Relations Manager at the Long Wharf, said. "People who aren't used to go going to the theater are staying at home, whereas the people who are familiar with us have continued to show their support by renewing their subscriptions. It's security that people are looking for."

But are people just buying into their own rationalizations? Has the media drilled them into believing that the populace is "uncertain" and "cautious"?

Lubanacci, director of marketing at the Shubert, contends the explanations that others have proposed for dropping subscription rates. "If people are really concerned about losing their jobs, spending too much money, or going out in public, why did the Billy Joel and Elton John concert sell out at the Hartford Convention Center?" he said. "We've almost created this situation in which people feel guilty about going out and doing things. Every-one is talking about it so much, but if that's really the case, why are people going out to these large events?"

Donations and fundraising in the arts are also an issue. While most organizations have yet to begin their annual campaigns, many have already anticipated some changes.

"How it will all come out in the wash, I'm not sure, but I do think foundation-giving and corporate-giving will be diverted [from certain organizations] this year," Nolan said. The declining stock market and weakened economy may cause larger sponsors to opt to re-direct their money outside of the arts, to larger and more conventional organizations. While the Andrew Mellon Foundation recently pledged $50 million to arts groups "hurt by terrorism," foundations typically draw from a "fixed pot of money." As Nolan explained, "If all of that [money] is going in one direction, it's going to come away from somewhere else."

But if a recession is pending and the national economic outlook is uncertain, the effect may be abated—if not overridden—in a place like New Haven, where the ties between the arts and the local community are close, strong, and long-standing. Amidst concerns that the public may be "tapped out" in giving to organizations like the Red Cross, some New Haven arts groups have already experienced increases in individual donations, heartened by the enthusiasm and commitment the public has already displayed.

"It's too early to know the long-term impact, but we've been encouraged to know that some of our donors have been even more generous this year," Jane Christi, director of development at the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, said. "I think people are realizing the significance of the arts to our common humanity. We'd be crazy not to be concerned about the impact of the economy, but we're feeling pretty positive, looking toward launching new programs. We're hopeful that we're feeding the souls of the community."

Some believe that it may, ultimately, be the bigger organizations that are harder hit. "The smaller, grassroots-focused groups, like we have in New Haven, tend to [have more] personal commitment and be more passionate," Monz said. Since Sept. 11, "people have really wanted to get more involved in their communities, having a renewed appreciation for those parts of their lives," he added.

Connecting the local and the global, in terms of fundraising, has been the long-standing focus of an event like the International Festival of Arts and Ideas, now approaching its seventh summer.

"The mission of the festival is now more important than ever, both in terms of making global connections and celebrating New Haven," Franquemont said. "Sure, we're all concerned about the economic and emotional impact. But we're not going to let anything affect the positive things happening for our local arts organizations, and it seems like the public is really committed to making the arts in New Haven really terrific."

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