Arts and Artemesia: Women and Funding in a Man's World

Actor Dana Delaney (currently of Desperate Housewives, but I remember her from way back from when she was on As the World Turns) recently became co-president of the Creative Coalition, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization advocating for increased support of the arts and many other causes. This is a good thing. Getting women into high-profile positions in arts organizations is vital to making certain women are represented across the spectrum, as artists and in art and everywhere in between.

In arts as everywhere, it seems both the glad-handing and giving is done mostly by men. We may be getting somewhere when women start representing organizations that fund art and artists and not just support various causes.

Award-winning New York City-based playwright Barbara Kahn, puts it very succinctly, "Omission of women in the arts not only diminishes women artists, it damages our ability to claim our rightful place in funding for arts and culture. The arts-film, theater, music, literature, comic books and graphic novels, fine arts and crafts-influence the image of women in the world, whether we are ignored, misrepresented or stereotyped. Lack of funding and other support," says Kahn, "puts the depiction of women in the hands of those who are self-sufficient, who have significant financial resources or who consider us as less than equal in the world. By devaluing the importance of the arts in affecting societal change."

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We already know female artists receive far less monies as individuals that our male counterparts. We also know that the depiction of us and our lives are, as Kahn points out, in the hands of those with the resources rather than actual  female experience-- at least the types of female experience that values and celebrates women, or even tells the truth about our lives.

With the new national arts stimulus plan, which includes $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts and $150 million for infrastructure repairs at the Smithsonian, let's make sure we see women are visible and vocal in administrative positions in arts funding and arts education and other supportive arts organizations. We also need to ensure individual female artists receive parity in grant monies and other support.

I know it sound trite and tedious, but write and call your state and federal representatives and tell them you want to see women receiving funding in the arts. Lobby your local (and national) arts organization for the same. And whatever type of artist you are, keep on creating your work!