Lexington, KY - Andrew Carnegie, Solomon R. Guggenheim and John D. Rockefeller earned their fortunes in steel, mining and oil, respectively, but aesthetes the world over probably know them better for their largesse to the arts. Businesses fund the arts; artists are clients of businesses. This synergy supports a thriving arts community, which is as vital a component to economic success in a city the size of Lexington as it is in more famous metropolitan areas.
There are 63 nonprofit arts groups in central Kentucky. Five of them have cumulative budgets of more than $5 million, 80 percent of which is returned to the local economy, according to Jim Clark, president and CEO of LexArts Inc.
"It's not like you're just writing a check and it disappears," he said.
All organizations receiving funds from LexArts must fill out a lengthy written application each year.
"That tells us exactly what's going on, not only from an artistic point of view but also within management and personnel issues," Clark said. The process each spring is thorough and includes one-on-one sessions with the grants committee, in which the arts organizations discuss goals and challenges.
Founded in 1972 as the Lexington Council of the Arts and renamed in 2005, LexArts is the area's arts council and united arts fund. Before accepting the position of president of LexArts in 2002, Clark spent four years at the helm of Culture Works, a united arts fund in Dayton, Ohio. He was also an executive director of the Public Art Fund in New York City, where he received a master's degree in public policy from New York University.
What is the economic status of the arts in central Kentucky? "Actually, it's fairly healthy," Clark said. "And in our recent Campaign for the Arts, we saw that individuals (and corporations) exceeded last year's giving."
The additional monetary donations were due in large part to the mayor's challenge grant, according to Clark.
LexArts' annual fund drive has raised at least $1 million for six consecutive years. While this is certainly a positive trend, operating budgets for local arts groups are as stretched and strained these days as anyone else's. The groups are trimming expenses and seeking new revenue sources, such as sponsorships.
"That's a national trend we've seen, especially with corporations," Clark said. "They're interested in more focused giving, something that has a marketing return on it."
In addition to corporate support, philanthropic donations allow arts organizations to provide ongoing programming in the community.
Smaller groups can apply for a Community Arts Development Grant through LexArts for program support (ongoing outreach) or project support (one event). LexArts works with a panel of arts professionals to review the applications.
"And, I might add, they review them in public so anyone can come see this process," Clark said.
The public review has been an educational process for arts groups.
"It allows them to hear what people are saying about what they're proposing," Clark explained. "It also lets them know how much these people are aware of what they are doing, and how perhaps they need to explain things more and just not take it for granted that because they are doing good things, they are going to get money."
The LexArts board of directors takes the funding process seriously. In an effort to bring transparency to the table, the public review process started in 2004.
"In 2008, it even extended to the reviews of our partner agencies for the large operating support," Clark said.
Partner agencies include the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, Lexington Children's Theatre, Living Arts & Science Center and the Lexington Art League.
About 50 arts groups are members of the Lexington Arts Network, which offers reduced rental rates at several performance centers. Network members meet with LexArts bimonthly to discuss all manner of operational topics.
Non-membership in the network "does not preclude you from seeking funding from LexArts," Clark said. "We are here to serve all the arts groups and artists, and to provide opportunities for a healthy and vibrant arts community."
There's always room for the arts to grow and expand. The Lexington Philharmonic, for example, is adding smaller concerts to its schedule. There were two last year at the Downtown Arts Center, a more intimate setting than the Singletary Center for the Arts, and three this year.
"The Lexington Art League has been doing incredible programming in reaching out beyond Loudoun House," Clark said, citing another example of the type of creative thinking that will help the arts grow in central Kentucky.
"It's a good thing that the arts are made up of creative people," Clark said, "because when it's a difficult economic environment, that's when you've got to get creative."
To learn more about LexArts, visit www.LexArts.org.
Kathie Stamps posts grammar tips at www.facebook.stampscommunications.com