Commentary: NEA funds help the arts reach rural communities

By Charma Bonanno
©2017-Telegraph Publishing LLC

Congressman Peter Welch is due a lot of credit. While his peers in other states are also holding town hall meetings, Rep. Welch has gone the extra mile of pulling together small groups in a variety of fields to discuss how Vermonters would be affected by the sweeping cuts proposed in the most recent federal budget.

I took part in one such meeting last week that included representatives from a selection of arts and humanities organizations, public broadcasting companies, libraries and museums. “The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company is an 80-year-old arts organization in a town of 550 residents,” I began. At that, there was a bit of a hubbub in the room. “How does that happen?” Congressman Welch asked. It’s an excellent question.

If you’re a regular patron of the Weston Playhouse, you’ve no doubt heard us explain the economics. A little over half of everything we spend comes from ticket sales. The rest comes mainly from generous individuals, some from businesses, some from private foundations and some from the government. Those government grants are not large and they come in two categories: direct funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, given on an annual basis after a rigorous vetting process and a three-year Arts Partnership grant from the Vermont Arts Council.

The VAC also receives funding from the NEA, which is then matched by the state of Vermont and supplemented by private donors.

Direct NEA funding has allowed the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company to continue and expand our School Matinee Program, which brings students from all over our part of the state to a professional theatrical production of educational merit. Teachers are invited to partake in a spring Teachers Workshop (with funding from the Vermont Humanities Council, which in turn, receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities) to prepare teachers with expert speakers, practical tools and hands-on workshops.

Direct NEA funding has allowed the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company to continue and expand our School Matinee Program, which brings students from all over our part of the state to a professional theatrical production of educational merit.

Funding from the NEA has allowed us to offer American Sign Language-interpreted and audio-described performances, serving populations in Vermont with few opportunities for engagement. It has also allowed us to produce new works, giving our audiences unique experiences and capturing the attention of notable private foundations, which have funded us, in part, because of the NEA’s stamp of approval. And that NEA recognition provides a key ripple effect.

Indeed, the NEA reports that on average, for every $1 its gives,$7 are given in matching grants from private sources. This funding is essential for the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company which, in turn, has a significant impact on the local economy.

The NEA intentionally gives arts funding to every state in the nation, designed to level the playing field for arts in rural areas. The NEA is keenly aware that without that support, the arts would be clustered in urban areas, and places like Vermont would not have the vibrant arts and corresponding economic benefits that help make Vermont a wonderful place to live.

Charma Bonanno is the director of development at the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company. She lives in Weston.