Theatre Design & Technology - Oct 1966 - 25

opening up. However, more will be expected of the administrator who will deal with a more sophisticated approach to community processes, will work with a larger
budget than ever before, will need more manpower, more
volunteer help, and will have to try many new kinds of
promotional techniques, which perhaps he has never attempted before. Also, the administrator will face many
new kinds of problems, all demanding great tact and deep
understanding.
There have been several recent examples - and I will
not name the cities - where board members have interfered in the artistic direction and have attempted to dictate artistic policy. And in the middle of situations like
this, we have the administrator.
Government involvement in the arts has created new kinds
of problems also. I think the most recent example of this
was the Kienholz exhibit at the Los Angeles County
Museum of Art. where the Los Angeles County Board of
Supervisors demanded that certain works in the exhibition, which they believed were pornographic, be altered.
None of the people on the Board were trained in art in
any way and yet they raised a tremendous furore which
hit the front pages and they threatened to withdraw public support from the museum or close the exhibition.
This is what I mean by the kind of troubles facing administrators. Happily, the museum administrators stood their
ground.
I admire the California Arts Commission in this case for
rising to the occasion and issuing a public statement the first I nave seen of its kind - condemning the interference of the County Board.

Because we don't have the time to discuss all the areas
of support for the arts in detail, such as foundations,
government at various levels, and labor, I'd like to focus
most of my attention on one specific area, which is a
relatively new one, support from business. I think that
corporate aid to the arts represents a tremendous and
untapped potential for arts institutions.
But even in this area there are possible problems which
the arts administrator must foresee. First and foremost, he
must be sure that the relationship between an arts organization and a business is in good taste and is consistent with the type of image that the arts group wishes to
present to the public. As an example of a relationship
in bad taste, I'm reminded of the Canadian hosiery company which sent out a fund solicitation on behalf of a
ballet company several years ago. This would have been
a fine program except for the fact that along with appealing for funds for the dance group, the hosiery company
also appealed to readers to buy nylon stockings from it at
a reduced rate. Everyone who received this mailing, might
well have questioned the propriety of the dance company
in allowing itself to be part of an overtly commercial
offer.
We have had another recent example of questionable
taste when the Celanese Corporation purchased the services of the Robert Joffrey Ballet to perform a ballet
introducing a new line of Celanese nylon fashions. I
don't go to many fashion shows but this one turned out
to be one which I will remember very well, with all the
female dancers drifting along in night-gowns and negligees of Celanese, the fashion editors applauding wildly
and everyone concerned with dance cringing in their
seats.

We are beginning to see troubles on the national level
in Congress also. Some Congressmen questioned the
program content of the National Endowment, saying,
"We don't want the Endowment to influence the type of
style of art which is to be clutivated in this country."
In essence, certain Congressmen were asking that money
should be given to more established institutions rather
than to individuals in the field. Here we have people
knowing nothing about the arts, attempting to influence
artistic directions.

I will run down a list of examples which might suggest to
.you the kinds of support business can give to the arts.

All this relates to the man in the middle, the administrator. And if political problems and interference in program content are not enough, he still faces the problem
of getting money for his institution.

Business can help with the promotion of arts programs.
For example, many department stores now promote cultural performances in their advertisements. Macy's has had
a program like this for many years.

But rather than linger on the problems, I would like to
tell you some of the things that business can do, in good
taste, for the arts. Incidentally, direct granting of funds
is not necessarily their most important contribution. There
are many other areas of assistance which do not necessarily involve financial contributions.

With the rise of so many competitive institutions, with
There are many unique ways for business to promote proall the demands placed upon the public for money today,
grams. For example, in Oklahoma City, the National Cash
how is he going to get his money? Well, there are
Register Company placed a message on the back of
several areas.
supermarket check-out tapes urging shoppers to attend
The title of my talk is, "Every Good Building Needs A the Mummers Theatre. Or I think of the milk containers
Foundation;" a good sUb-title might be, "As long as which promoted the sale of subscription tickets for a
you're up, get me a grant." The amount of time spent theatre.
by people involved in a professional non-profit arts organiThen there are the businesses which support individual
zation on the financial phase of the operation is incrediprojects. Many businesses now - and there are a number
ble.
of examples - are helping to pay for the cost of newsIn fact, the process of finding funds often leads to a lellers and programs published by arts groups. One arts
more serious Droblem. the dilution of the artistic content. group has made this a community project and the busiSome organizations place a safety valve on their pro- nesses who do not contribute, feel left out.
grams. If a grant is available for pUlling on a certain kind
Another very important way that a business can help
of program, some tend to emphasize that kind of program.
arts organizations, is in sponsoring arts programs for
What this can mean in the long run is apparent. The
employees and customers. The new School of Music in
safety first approach can lead not to art for art's sake,
Philadelphia, for example, has had its orchestra perform
but art for money's sake.
for employees of major corporations. The Buffalo Savings
Without a question, the program must come first and that Bank arranged to have the Buffalo Philharmonic give a
program must be of the highest artistic quality possible. performance, allended by 1,400 people, on the bank
Support will not be lacking for the fine program, which floor. There have been many examples of programs in
is well administered also.
shopping centers.

OCTOBER 1966

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