The Show Must Go On

EXHIBIT A: A visitor ponders work by Michael Scoggins, currently on view at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia

Maybe you haven’t heard. The economy’s in bad shape.

Pundits (and occasionally shortsighted presidents) urge us to go out and shop in times of crisis such as these—to do our duty to kick-start our consumer culture by going on a spending spree at the local mall.

Here’s a better idea. How about going to see a play or an art exhibit? A symphony concert, perhaps? Or better yet, how about opening your wallet and dishing out a few dollars to help one of our wonderful local arts organizations?

OK, so it might not go very far towards solving the home mortgage crisis or bailing out the Big Three, but you’d be honoring a great American tradition. Americans have always turned to music and art in tough times—whether through escapist entertainment or something more profound.

But when it comes to philanthropy, the arts often get pushed to the bottom of the pile (somewhere below the many worthy charities for children or the homeless), even in rosy economic times. Members of our own local arts community are all too aware of this, and they’re steeling themselves for the worst on our current slippery slide into recession.

"We are dollar for dollar where we were this time last year," says Virginia Stage Company’s Director of Development, Jennifer Taylor. "But we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. So in anticipation of that we’re cutting back expenses for the company so that we’ll be prepared when that happens."

Taylor said the specifics of the cuts were yet to be determined, but that they would be "things that we think will not affect the quality of our productions. We’re just tightening the belt."

They’re not the only ones.

Virginia Opera recently announced it would be making some big sacrifices to stay in the black, including trimming half a million dollars from its budget, laying off its publicist and eliminating one performance from each of its productions next season.

"While the show must go on, it would be irresponsible of us to pretend we can conduct business as usual," said Gus Stuhlreyer, Virginia Opera’s general director and CEO, in an email statement.

Arts organizations, of course, must weather ups and downs in the economy like any other businesses.

"Historically in fundraising, during the past six recessions, individual giving and corporate giving, everything drops about 12 percent temporarily," says Taylor, "but rebounds and surpasses your goals for the following year."

It’s the big donors that make the difference, she explains. Exceptionally generous patrons pick up the slack when the smaller donations drop off due to a struggling economy.

Now that’s a reason to give thanks. And that’s exactly what the staff at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia did back in October when they used the opening reception for their latest exhibit as an opportunity to honor several of their most giving givers. A little gratitude goes a long way, after all.

CAC is taking a multifaceted approach to dealing with the economy, says Amy Walton, their Director of Development and External Affairs.

They’ve tried adding some lower levels of giving in an effort to ease the intimidation factor for folks who may not have a lot of money.

"There’s one that’s $19.52," says Walton, "which reflects 1952, which is the year we were founded. So a person could contribute to the annual campaign for $19.52. Now the interesting thing is we haven’t received any of those low levels of contribution yet. The ones that we have pulled in have been actually very large contributions."

Walton says her overall approach is day-to-day diligence.

"I’m trying to stay focused and work smart. Every day, I talk to potential sponsors. I follow up. I go to see them. I’m engaging our board in that. Our board of trustees has just been fabulous about getting my foot in the door with key people that they know and acting as advocates for CAC, and that has helped a lot."

One thing that often makes a difference is kids. When donors get a first-hand sense of how student programs at places like CAC benefit the community, they’re more willing to step up.

"It’s amazing when potential sponsors see this," says Walton, "how these children are learning to think outside the box."

Still, getting your voice heard above the din is an ongoing challenge for arts organizations.

"The arts have to do a very effective job of communicating our story," says Jennifer Taylor, "and telling the community about the transformational power of art."