To call art a tourism-generator, which Mississippi Senate Bill 2611 would do, is correct. Without question. To call it only that, however — or to even say tourism is the primary function of art in our society — would be haphazard and incomplete.
The bill, which Republican Sen. Lydia Chassaniol of Winona authored and Sen. Gary Jackson (R-Starkville) co-sponsored, would abolish the Mississippi Arts Commission and shift its duties to an advisory council under the direction of the Mississippi Development Authority.
This puts the cart before the horse, much in the same way placing a grocery store in charge of both producing and selling food would. The Arts Commission — through providing grants, programs and services for local arts councils, other art-centered organizations and even individual artists — fosters the creation and dissemination of art. When existing art can be used in a function to promote tourism, that’s where MDA steps in. These two absolutely can and should work hand-in-hand, but they are not the same thing, and to sacrifice one for the other is a mistake.
Art is a window to the imagination and values of a culture, and everyone, on some level, is an artist. Both by creating it and consuming it, we can see ourselves and our society clearer, and we convey the message of that vision to generations that will come long after we’re gone.
Mississippi’s arts heritage, rich beyond measure, is a source of pride and, yes, a very significant economic generator. One might argue that Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner, Elvis, Jim Henson, B.B. King and Morgan Freeman were inevitable, irrepressible talents destined to bloom in our state’s fertile soil. Maybe so, but the Arts Commission plays a valuable role in championing their work while promoting emerging artists and supporting programs and exhibits that enrich us all.
Mississippi’s budget woes are real, and it is necessary for the Legislature to find ways to tighten the purse strings and make government work more efficiently. To decommission the Arts Commission with its minuscule $1.7 million cost is not the way to do it.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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