Lobbying for arts funding

Lobbying for arts funding

Dr. Rohini Dandavate

Scholars in the field of arts have time and again expressed that there are few artists to lobby for the arts and fewer still who are involved in the political process of policy making. While industrialists, corporate houses and large labor unions are able to impress their needs with the power of money and numbers, the world of arts is lacking in money, numbers, a consensus for a common goal and in constant involvement in policy making process. The field of dance is no exception.

While the need for dance organizations was recognized long ago to provide services to its members and to promote, preserve and propagate dance forms, the need for involvement in the policy making process and lobbying for the arts was not considered a priority. While most dance organizations continue to facilitate dance education and training, besides providing dance related information and resources very few represent the interests and needs of the field to the government.

A review of the activities, functions, services of dance organizations indicates that strategies for policy oriented learning and involvement in political activities has little attention. This leads to funding becoming scarce. In the background of the scarcity it would be appropriate to say that dance

organizations should collectively impress upon policy makers the needs of dancers and dance educators. Research confirms that dance contributes significantly towards human development and also facilitates in building cultural understanding. Therefore it is justifiable to say that consistent funding will benefit people at large in the long run.

The question is what and how can we convince policy makers to allocate regular funds for supporting dance education, presentation, promotion and preservation. According to George Edwards, a leading political scientist the essence of Interest groups is in being organized and in achieving a goal by building consensus. All groups who were long ignored by government officials, once organized, redirected the course of public policy. The world of dance needs this organization and power that stems from that organization towards a common goal. With the changing times, when resources are lesser and takers are more it becomes important for the dance community to come together and get involved in public policy oriented learning.

The following diagram illustrates the influences which contribute in the policy making process.

Campaign Finance

Media

Budgetary process: Distribution of resources

Interest Groups

Goals National Goals Party Goals Personal Goals

Policy

Opinions

Biases Situational Influences: Public Opinion Current Events Trends

Understanding the nature of the influences illustrated in the diagram will allow us to determine the shortcomings in the field of the dance and build strategies which enable dancers, dance organizations and dance educators to achieve long term financial support. Working collectively is the key towards convincing policy makers towards establishing regular and recurring funding in different areas of dance education, e.g. in dance research and publication, documentation, education, and presentation. Absence of

involvement or limited involvement in the public policy making process can purge prospects of gaining ongoing financial support for the arts. In the

words of George C. Edwards, In a democracy the government does what the people want. This statement explains how it is inevitable for the dance

community to participate in the policy making process and collectively lobby for their needs.

Rohini Doshi-Dandavate holds a doctoral degree in Cultural Policy and Arts Administration from the Ohio State University. As an artist in the Arts in Education Program of the Ohio Arts Council, she has conducted workshops and lecture demonstrations on Odissi dance in schools and colleges in Ohio since 1994. She has offered courses in Odissi dance, as a Visiting Faculty in Denison University in 2001 and continues to offer dance lessons. She received a graduate degree in Odissi dance from Kala Vikash Kendra, College of Indian Dance and Music, Cuttack, India. Her gurus are Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Guru Raghunath Dutta, Guru Ramani Ranjan Jena, and Dr Menaka Thakkar. Her papers/articles can be read at www.scribd.com/rohinidandavate