Nevada artists and arts nonprofits are tired, but not because we’ve run out of ideas or energy or passion. We’re tired because we are constantly asked to prove our worth in economic terms, spreadsheets and graphs—a language different from the elemental value we know the arts to propel—and despite our consistent illustration in this second language, we have watched creativity pushed to the margins, because it’s easy to chop.
As national axes swing on lightning-fast pendulums, amid the concern, there is a spot of hope.
Nevada’s Legislature is considering AB 219, a proposal that would allocate just 1% of the state’s existing live-entertainment tax revenue to the Nevada Arts Council. (As this goes to print, we await its fate). It’s a modest ask with the potential to make a monumental difference.
The Sierra Arts Foundation team watched with concern as some public voices responded with applause to the recent defunding of Nevada Humanities, one of the state’s vital conduits for community, memory and meaning. We wait with bated breath to understand the continuing impacts of the National Endowment for the Arts’ new reality, now that the agency has canceled many grants, and all 10 of its grant administrators quit.
To those applauding the loss of arts funding, we ask: Could you explain that joy to a student who finds their voice in a poetry program? To a veteran processing trauma through journaling? To a disabled community member who feels less alone through creative expression?
We recognize public funding comes with scrutiny, and rightly so. Re-elevation is an ongoing process. But what’s particularly disheartening about this moment in history is that this funding has been slashed without a clear rationale. The swift act itself sends a message that the arts carry no public value.
That couldn’t be further from the truth. Art is not a bonus feature of society. It’s the story we tell about who we are. It’s education, economic development, tourism and healing. It saves lives, lifts neighborhoods and builds bridges where language and politics fall short.
A 2019 study conducted by the George Mason University Arts Research Center found that integrating the arts into classrooms improves student comprehension and test scores across subjects, particularly for struggling learners. A survey from the National Endowment for the Arts found that arts engagement is linked to better mental health, lower social isolation, and increased civic participation. These are just two of hundreds of studies affirming what artists and audiences already know.
And yet, we ask: Independent of the wealth of data and evidence, can we truly prove art’s import with statistics or graphs? Sierra Arts Foundation will continue to rise to the challenge to illustrate its value, and we will do so alongside thousands of organizations across the country who proffer this intelligence upward and outward. We will fight the once-again-rising tide of devaluation across the country, but we are weary. We need help.
Our state leadership has worked diligently to invest in arts and culture, a key economic driver and a factor for improved quality of life. And while we are deeply grateful for the generosity of private donors and philanthropic foundations who sustain so much of Nevada’s cultural life, the reality is that the arts benefit every corner of our society. Why shouldn’t national funds be used to uphold something that uplifts us all?
How quick we are to forget: Art was there for all of us during the pandemic. Art continues to show up in our classrooms, senior centers, hospitals, main streets and gathering places.
To those legislators who have stepped up in support: Thank you. Nevada’s arts administrators are grateful you recognize cultural infrastructure is every bit as vital as roads, water systems and schools.
To the donors and patrons who keep the arts alive: Your investment reverberates further than you may ever see. To the artists: Your work—often created in the margins, often underfunded, often uncredited—continues to shape the emotional and civic landscape of our communities. Your courage to keep creating despite the odds is revolutionary.
AB 219 is not just a funding mechanism. It’s an affirmation of belief in the power of expression, imagination and culture. While this bill will not completely wipe away our fatigue, it does interject some much-needed optimism into our ranks. It can be a beacon of funding success that could benefit similar states trudging tiredly, though doggedly, uphill.
Join us. Applaud your legislators for their belief in the arts to contribute to the power of expression, imagination and culture by becoming a patron (or increasing your support) yourself.
Tracey Oliver is the executive director of Sierra Arts Foundation.