You know that line about the Federal Reserve Chairman — that it’s his duty to come along and take away the punchbowl just as the (economic) party is revving up? That’s how I feel right
now.
Much of the arts community is euphoric about what Rocco Landesman told The New York Times the other day (link): It was straight talk; he said many things that needed saying; with a few remarks, he extracted the cultural world from the defensive crouch arts organizations always seem to be in. Artists do need to be considered in economic policy matters, though Landesman shouldn’t ignore the fact that investing in arts generally doesn’t have as large an economic multiplier effect as
investing in manufacturing (until and unless studies prove otherwise, but I won’t get started on that. Just see here).
Yet as much as I agree with most of what he said, Landesman took a very big risk with that interview. Washington, as I wrote over the weekend in a commentary for Forbes, demands respect and often chews up people who don’t play by its rules. His remark about Peoria, even if true, will come back to haunt him surer than the “wise Latina” remark messed up Sonia Sotomayor. It’s going to make budget requests and hearings much more difficult.
So while Landesman is right to try to alter the national debate about the arts, I hope his cocky first interview doesn’t hurt the cause, rather than help it.