If President Trump gets his way opera and the downtown Los Angeles “arts” could lose $500,000. These are mostly programs for the rich and famous, the elites—who love taxes and handouts to their favorite causes. Yet, for the cost of 3-4 fewer illegal alien families, or the price of fewer and lowered donations to Sanders, Obama and Clinton, they could still have the arts that they want. Instead they prefer to steal from the poor and middle class that live in Austin, Orlando or Kansas City, so they can be seen at the Opera of the Chandler Pavilion.
“This week, visitors to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion can take in a Placido Domingo-conducted production of The Tales of Hoffman. The French-language tale of tragic romance and artistic muses from composer Jacques Offenbach stars standout tenor Vittorio Grigolo. It runs through April 15.
The L.A. Opera presentation is partly funded by a $65,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Now the fate of some future productions is becoming less certain in the wake of President Donald Trump’s threat to eliminate the NEA. That is part of a federal budget proposal that could lead to sweeping cuts to the arts, sciences and other government programs.
While nothing is set in stone, arts providers nationwide are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. That includes Downtown Los Angeles, where each year more than a dozen art organizations receive NEA funding for specific endeavors or shows. They range from $10,000 for the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles to $90,000 for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
With a $20 trillion deficit, the elites calling for opening of borders, higher taxes (on others) and over a billion dollars going to the openly corrupt and incompetent Hillary Clinton, the elites want you to finance their night at the opera. What do you think—can you afford to send Harrison Ford to see Placido Domingo?
NEA Cuts Threaten Downtown Arts Institutions
More Than a Dozen Local Cultural Providers Could Take a Hit if Trump Kills Funding Body
By Nicholas Slayton, Downtown LA News, 3/29/17
DTLA – This week, visitors to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion can take in a Placido Domingo-conducted production of The Tales of Hoffman. The French-language tale of tragic romance and artistic muses from composer Jacques Offenbach stars standout tenor Vittorio Grigolo. It runs through April 15.
The L.A. Opera presentation is partly funded by a $65,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Now the fate of some future productions is becoming less certain in the wake of President Donald Trump’s threat to eliminate the NEA. That is part of a federal budget proposal that could lead to sweeping cuts to the arts, sciences and other government programs.
While nothing is set in stone, arts providers nationwide are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. That includes Downtown Los Angeles, where each year more than a dozen art organizations receive NEA funding for specific endeavors or shows. They range from $10,000 for the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles to $90,000 for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Christopher Koelsch, president and CEO of L.A. Opera, said the funding is “instrumental.” He said it is disappointing to see the NEA funding on the chopping block.
“One has to fight for the importance and centrality of the arts and this is yet another example of the struggle to protect it,” said Koelsch.
Another Downtown entity that relies on NEA funding is the Latino Theatre Company. It received $15,000 to mount last year’s six-hour epic A Mexican Trilogy: An American Story.
photo by Hector Cruz Sandoval
Organizations in the city of Los Angeles received $3,729,000 in NEA funds during the 2015-2016 fiscal year (the latest year for which full figures are available). In Downtown, recipients include Grand Performances, the Library Foundation of Los Angeles (which operates the Aloud at the Central Library program), the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Latino Theater Company, among others (see sidebar for more).
Trump’s proposed budget calls for a $54 billion increase in defense spending. In order to achieve that, he has proposed deep cuts for the State Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and other programs. Under the initial proposal, the NEA would be entirely defunded. The budget still needs to be debated by Congress.
In a statement on its website, the NEA said it cannot advocate for or against the cuts.
“At this time, the NEA continues to operate as usual and will do so until a new budget is enacted by Congress,” the statement reads.
Hitting Audiences
The National Endowment for the Arts was established in 1965 to enable all Americans to have access to the fine arts, such as music or dance. It funds entities through grants for specific projects or works, rather than contributing to an organization’s overall budget.
In 2016 the NEA’s budget was roughly $148 million. Over the decades it has evaded various Republican-led efforts to defund it. The Trump proposal appears to be the most serious threat to the NEA yet.
Leaders of several large Downtown cultural providers say the loss of NEA funds would not threaten their overall organization. However, they point out that the money is important to specific initiatives.
Koelsch said NEA funding is relatively modest versus L.A. Opera’s $42 million budget, but the grants help subsidize community-focused programs, such as free or reduced-cost seats at certain shows for people who might not otherwise be able to afford an opera ticket.
Michael Ritchie, artistic director for Center Theatre Group, which operates the Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum in Downtown, said that even if the cuts do not threaten CTG’s existence, they could require cutting back on programming or the number of shows they stage.
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