Can an even split of public, philanthropic and per-ticket funding sustain opera and ballet in Europe? Sam Baker talks to “venture philanthropists” about shifting the performing arts away from a government-funded model.
'To produce canonical works, the arts require risk-taking and innovation, boundary-pushing and stirring up new ideas. Of course, the arts are also an industry, made up of businesses and nonprofits that have to pay employees and keep the stage lights on.
It's not a huge surprise that the sector overall has faced funding challenges in recent years, particularly in countries that adopted austerity policies following the 2008 financial crisis. According to a study by the Budapest Observatory, cultural funding from Western European governments dipped after 2008 and has struggled to recover ever since (Eastern European national arts budgets meanwhile, have been steadily growing).
When opera houses, ballet companies and art museums lose public subsidies, they are often forced to focus their attention on ticket sales, which means increasing prices and trying to sell out every show. To do this, they plan safer, blockbuster shows and exhibitions with star talent, avoiding riskier works or emerging artists in the process.' ... Keep reading on Forbes
'To produce canonical works, the arts require risk-taking and innovation, boundary-pushing and stirring up new ideas. Of course, the arts are also an industry, made up of businesses and nonprofits that have to pay employees and keep the stage lights on.
It's not a huge surprise that the sector overall has faced funding challenges in recent years, particularly in countries that adopted austerity policies following the 2008 financial crisis. According to a study by the Budapest Observatory, cultural funding from Western European governments dipped after 2008 and has struggled to recover ever since (Eastern European national arts budgets meanwhile, have been steadily growing).
When opera houses, ballet companies and art museums lose public subsidies, they are often forced to focus their attention on ticket sales, which means increasing prices and trying to sell out every show. To do this, they plan safer, blockbuster shows and exhibitions with star talent, avoiding riskier works or emerging artists in the process.' ... Keep reading on Forbes