Penelope Cruz couldn’t have said it better when she described the arts as the world’s ‘universal language’ as she accepted the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards on Sunday.
In her call to ‘protect its survival,’ Cruz recognized the importance of the arts and how, when an economy starts to suffer, the arts are the first thing to go.
Cruz’s appeal comes at the perfect time. As consumers and businesses start to feel the economic squeeze, few pause to think about how the arts will be affected.
Operas and symphonies are cutting ticket prices and the number of productions in a season to cope with shrinking endowments and deal-seeking audiences. Orchestra seat tickets to the New York City Ballet, regularly $90, are now $25.
In Santa Clarita, Calif., the symphony orchestra has cancelled its entire 2009 season due to lack of funds. And in Maryland, the Baltimore Opera Company has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and cancelled the rest of its season.
Or, take the closure of ArtStorm’s gallery space at the Caroline Collective in Houston (‘Art Storm loses gallery space,’ Life & Arts, Tuesday) as an example. At any other time, surely ArtStorm would have found some support to help keep its doors open. But with the economy’s current state, funding for the arts is getting harder and harder to find.
The art collective ArtStorm isn’t gone entirely – just its gallery space – but it’s only a matter of time before other Houston organizations close their doors because of lack of funds.
To prevent this from happening, everyone must support the arts. Yes, the economy isn’t doing so well and sacrifices will have to be made, but the arts must not be one of them. If anything, one should use this recession as an advantage to attend concerts, plays, recitals and operas on the cheap. Supporting the arts while saving a little cash is something anyone can and should be a part of.
