Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Economy and the Arts

In strong economic times Columbus has so much to offer residents and visitors interested in the arts. With an economy in crisis many organizations have come under great stress to continue to provide Columbus with the opportunities that have been available for so long.

Any Central Ohioan willing to shout "-IO" to passersby who scream "OH" should desperately want to keep a vibrant art scene in our area. Columbus is home to The Southern Theater, The Palace Theater and The Ohio Theatre. The Columbus Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Choirs are some of the best in the nation. Ballet Met Columbus offers amazing performing arts and the Columbus Museum of Art brings exhibits from all over the world for people to enjoy. As a Kid I was a member of the Columbus Symphony Children's Choir and I remember how difficult to fund raise even in economically prosperous times! What can an individual do to save culture in Columbus?

As a teen I used to love to spend time at the holiday pops it is a really enjoyable event by the symphony choirs and orchestras (children and adult groups). During the summer and through November the Columbus Symphony Orchestra will not be performing scheduled concerts due to financial distress. The Columbus Symphony Orchestra has offered free and inexpensive concerts to the public for years throughout the summer months. The price of a symphony orchestra concert ticket typically runs from $29.99 to upwards of one hundred dollars per seat. By not having free and inexpensive concert tickets available many families will not be able to experience live symphony music. Children who are not exposed to the arts cannot be expected to have an appreciation for the arts.

The performing arts are not the only casualty visual artists are struggling more than in a fair economy. Author and art collector Michael Corbin believes the two to be linked and wrote an interesting article that can be found at: http://blog.absolutearts.com/blogs/archives/00000451.html. It seems likely that a poor economy would mean tough times for visual artists.

Saving the arts in Columbus seems like a enormous task when most residents are concerned with saving money. When looking for weekend entertainment consider musical, visual or performing art. Individual patronage can help boost the revenue of the organizations that support art in Columbus.

Some websites that may be of assistance while making weekend plans:

http://www.theotherpaper.com/calendar/?cal=performingarts
http://www.columbusunderground.com/phpBB2/portal.php
http://www.columbussymphony.com/
http://www.balletmet.org/
http://www.columbusmuseum.org/

Corbin, M. (2007). Contemporary Art Blogs. Retrieved
September 25, 2008, from Blog About The Art
Web site: http://blog.absolutearts.com/blogs/archives/00000451.html

3 comments:

Jeffrey said...

I've always wanted to hit the Children's Theater.

http://www.colschildrenstheatre.org

Too bad we missed A Christmas Story last year. The pink nightmare pictures look so funny.

Charise said...

I went to an amazing concert at the Palace this week. It was the first time I'd been there - Columbus is lucky to have some great-looking, character-filled old theaters.
Too bad one of the oldies is closing after this week - the Drexel in Grandview.

James Lutz said...

Rachel,
My wife and I are both graphic designers and make our living in the visual arts field. Plus I teach CCAD students design concepts (as well as how to make a living in design). I often wonder what the job market will hold for them when they graduate. It seems like more recent articles are claiming that the growth of the world is being driven by creativity and innovation. I also hope that the performing arts, music, and visual arts prevail in Columbus. We are fortunate to have such wonderful culture in our backyard. I was so happy to read your blog.
Jim