Unkindest cuts in Congress
The arts aren't just good for your creative juices, but for the economy.
That was the message Michael Bahr, education director of the Utah Shakespearean Festival, delivered to a congressional hearing Thursday in Washington, according to this Salt Lake Tribune report.
"Art in Cedar City is not a luxury; it is business," Bahr said. "It hires an educated and talented work force. It provides positive economic impact far beyond the theater."
Also testifying (according to the AP's account of the hearing) was actor Tim Daly, who cited the direct financial impact of a single episode of his TV series, "Private Practice." An episode of the "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff takes nine days to shoot, employs hundreds of people, and spends about $20,000 on food, $25,000 to $40,000 on clothes and costumes, $2,500 on dry cleaning and $15,000 on furniture for the sets.
Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, also testified at the hearing - and, of course, ascribed the woes of the arts community to the Obama administration. Bishop said Obama's budget proposal, by reducing the amount that rich people can deduct from their taxes, would remove the incentive to donate to the arts.
Bishop said that charitable donations create an "emotional bond that government funds couldn't match." Apparently, though, that bond isn't strong enough to continue in a smaller tax shelter.
That was the message Michael Bahr, education director of the Utah Shakespearean Festival, delivered to a congressional hearing Thursday in Washington, according to this Salt Lake Tribune report.
"Art in Cedar City is not a luxury; it is business," Bahr said. "It hires an educated and talented work force. It provides positive economic impact far beyond the theater."
Also testifying (according to the AP's account of the hearing) was actor Tim Daly, who cited the direct financial impact of a single episode of his TV series, "Private Practice." An episode of the "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff takes nine days to shoot, employs hundreds of people, and spends about $20,000 on food, $25,000 to $40,000 on clothes and costumes, $2,500 on dry cleaning and $15,000 on furniture for the sets.
Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, also testified at the hearing - and, of course, ascribed the woes of the arts community to the Obama administration. Bishop said Obama's budget proposal, by reducing the amount that rich people can deduct from their taxes, would remove the incentive to donate to the arts.
Bishop said that charitable donations create an "emotional bond that government funds couldn't match." Apparently, though, that bond isn't strong enough to continue in a smaller tax shelter.
Labels: politics, Utah Shakespearean Festival
posted by Sean P. Means @ 10:38 AM |
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