Legacy Amendment: Where will the money go?

by Alan Berks, MinnesotaPlaylist • 11/11/08 •

Minnesota artists: We attended MCA‘s annual meeting on Monday, November 10 at Illusion Theater, so you didn’t have to. You might like to know the amount of people, and the amount of money, that have been working for an almost inconceivable number of years to find a stable, dedicated source of arts funding for you. Are you a member of MCA? You should be. An individual membership is only $30 per year. They lobby for you. Yes, artists have a lobbying organization, and they were one of many organizations that worked tirelessly to get the Legacy Amendment passed.

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Sheila Smith, Lawrence Redmond, Ken Martin, state Senators Dick Cohen and Larry Pogemiller—these are just some of the names of the people who wanted desperately for you to have more funding for your work. Sheila Smith is MCA’s Executive Director; Larry Redmond is their lobbyist. That’s right, there is such a thing as an arts lobbyist, Dorothy. O, we all hate the special interests so much, unless they’re working in our interest. Ken Martin ran the entire campaign, working with all the different constituents. There were many more names. Have you ever met these people? No? Me neither. Aren’t they awesome? Larry Redmond gave a passionate speech that almost lifted me out of my seat with Minnesota pride. I guess that’s why he gets paid the big bucks. O. Wait. He’s a lobbyist. That’s why he gets paid the big bucks, isn’t it?

Some things you might want to know. The amendment got more votes in Minnesota than Barack Obama. It actually got more votes than any person or initiative has ever gotten in the history of the state—more than Walter Mondale, Hubert Humphrey, etc., etc. etc. Of course, more people live in the state now, but, you know, numbers are numbers. Let’s dance with them. Over $3.8 million was raised and spent to get this amendment passed. That’s a lot of money-where-your-mouth-is proof of Minnesotan commitment. And while you were canvassing for Obama, there was an army of volunteers canvassing and phone-banking and envelope-stuffing for this amendment to keep your water clean, your parks park-y, and your art sustainable. No other state has ever enshrined in their constitution that they value their environmental and cultural heritage so much. Apparently, we’re hunters and park walkers and clean water drinkers and arts makers in Minnesota—like nowhere else in this country. It says so in our constitution.

Beware, however, that nowhere in the amendment does it specifically say how the 19% of the sales tax money dedicated to arts and culture will be divided. In theory, it could all go to a sculptor of decoy ducks in Bemidji, so—unless you are a sculptor of decoy ducks—you’ll want to keep paying attention to this issue. Right now, the State Arts Board and Regional Arts Councils are working on a strategic plan that should be ready by mid-July 2009 when the sales tax goes in to effect. (The money won’t be available for distribution until 2010.) At the annual meeting, a general sense emerged that 50% should go to the State Arts Board and Regional Arts Councils, and the rest would go to arts education and historical preservation in some way. But nothing is set in stone. And what “arts education” means is up for grabs. Keep your eyes on the legislature. Stay informed. Join the MCA and make your voice heard. Seriously. They exist to protect your interests as artists. You’ve got to tell them what you’re interested in.

In fact, if you’re got any ideas on how they should spend the money, send them to us. As artists, we should be able to think creatively and imagine uses that others haven’t thought yet. We’ll be your platform. Send us your ideas. It’ll be fun. If you were suddenly given an extra $50 million to support arts and culture in Minnesota, what would you do with it? Because, in a sense, that is exactly what happened last Tuesday.

Photo: A clown flung from atop the Theatre de la Jeune Lune as the company’s “last gesture,” according to Jeune Lune founder Dominique Serrand. Photo by Sonya Berlovitz, courtesy MinnesotaPlaylist.