{"id":951,"date":"2013-07-24T18:36:43","date_gmt":"2013-07-25T01:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/?p=951"},"modified":"2013-07-24T18:36:43","modified_gmt":"2013-07-25T01:36:43","slug":"win-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/2013\/07\/win-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Win-win"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"all<\/a>I am working on a project, which is taking many more hours than expected. While I love the idea of spending all my summer afternoons and evenings hanging out in the backyard with my children, there are times where I simply need to get to the office to get some writing done, where editing text at the dining room table is just not going to work. There are college students in this town who are great caregivers, who could use some money to get them through the school year, and who have time on their hands in late July. I am (relatively) cash-rich and time-poor, and my sitters are (relatively – everything is relative) cash-poor and time-rich. I hire them, I get my work done, they earn some money, it is a win-win.<\/p>\n

That’s what trade is about: mutually beneficial exchanges. Watch young children trade Pokemon cards – they have the principle of thing figured out at an early age. Adam Smith in the eighteenth century wrote about how our\u00a0‘propensity\u00a0to truck, barter and exchange one thing for another is common to all men.’<\/p>\n

And so I don’t really follow when blog neighbour Lee Rosenbaum<\/a> writes:<\/p>\n

Some\u00a0major American and European museums<\/a>\u00a0have also tried to exploit their collections as cash cows, renting masterpiece shows to cash rich, object poor institutions. This opportunistic but ultimately self-defeating practice needs to stop. It is contrary to the collegial relationship that should exist among sister institutions and ultimately ups the ante for everyone. It\u2019s a lose-lose.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How so? What exactly are ‘cash-rich, object poor’ museums supposed to show? And why shouldn’t an object rich, cash poor museum form an arrangement? LR continues:<\/p>\n

Fees should be charged to defray costs, and it\u2019s sometimes reasonable to request participation in profits (if any), after expenses. But to help balance the lender\u2019s operating budget at a sister institution\u2019s expense is exploitative, not collegial.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No. There is nothing uncollegial about mutually beneficial exchanges and arrangements. Think of the transactions you enter into each day at work or buying things for your household. Are these exchanges you engage in uncollegial? Exploitative? I don’t follow the reasoning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am working on a project, which is taking many more hours than expected. While I love the idea of spending all my summer afternoons and evenings hanging out in the backyard with my children, there are times where I simply need to get to the office to get some writing done, where editing text […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-951","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-issues","7":"entry","8":"has-post-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3dIW5-fl","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":377,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/2013\/02\/targets-the-cost-of-bread-and-nonprofit-arts-pricing\/","url_meta":{"origin":951,"position":0},"title":"Targets, The Cost of Bread, and Nonprofit Arts Pricing","author":"Michael Rushton","date":"February 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"My previous post drew lessons for museum pricing from what we observe in the prices set by cable television providers. But how can for-profit pricing be relevant to nonprofit museums, to orchestras and opera? Don\u2019t the nonprofit arts, unlike cable companies, have a mission to be accessible to all patrons,\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 5 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 5 comments","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/2013\/02\/targets-the-cost-of-bread-and-nonprofit-arts-pricing\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"Focus on the target","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/archersDM1304_468x364-300x233.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3049,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/2024\/07\/does-it-matter-if-the-subsidized-arts-are-mostly-attended-by-the-well-off\/","url_meta":{"origin":951,"position":1},"title":"Does it matter if the subsidized arts are mostly attended by the well-off? (updated)","author":"Michael Rushton","date":"July 24, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I have a new paper out, \u201cThe pursuit of equality through public funding for the arts\u201d, in\u00a0Innovating Institutions and Inequities in the Arts, edited by Joanna Woronkowicz and Doug Noonan.1 To explain what it is about, let me start with a completely different policy field: reducing the use of fossil\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "issues"","block_context":{"text":"issues","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-1.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1394,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/2014\/07\/love-of-art-and-love-of-place\/","url_meta":{"origin":951,"position":2},"title":"Love of art and love of place","author":"Michael Rushton","date":"July 2, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Those of us who teach classes in cultural policy at some point always engage our students in the fundamental question: why is government in the business of subsidizing the arts? Only when we have really thought about the ends of the policy can we think clearly about the best means\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "issues"","block_context":{"text":"issues","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jack's Creek, Clay Co, KY","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/JacksCreek.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/JacksCreek.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/JacksCreek.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2078,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/2016\/08\/on-proper-attire-for-attending-the-theatre\/","url_meta":{"origin":951,"position":3},"title":"On proper attire for attending the theatre","author":"Michael Rushton","date":"August 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"We have links to two stories today, Elisabeth Vincentelli asking that people try a little harder to look decent when they attend the theatre, much as they might be comfortable in their cargo pants and their Black Sabbath 1982 Mob Rules tour official t-shirt, and Alexis Kleinman in rebuttal -\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "issues"","block_context":{"text":"issues","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"you don't have to be rich","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/dressed-up.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/dressed-up.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/dressed-up.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1032,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/2014\/02\/rich-man-poor-man\/","url_meta":{"origin":951,"position":4},"title":"Rich man, poor man","author":"Michael Rushton","date":"February 8, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"My last post criticizing a recent study on the distribution of the benefits of NEA funding generated a lot of commentary. I thank everyone for contributing, and will try to respond to at least some of the points raised. First, I was not staking any claim on whether public funding\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "issues"","block_context":{"text":"issues","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"we get letters","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/postbox.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/postbox.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/postbox.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/postbox.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/postbox.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/postbox.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3768,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/2025\/04\/what-do-to-with-the-nea-pull-the-plug\/","url_meta":{"origin":951,"position":5},"title":"What do to with the NEA? Pull the plug?","author":"Michael Rushton","date":"April 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Two opinion pieces were published this week giving different conservative takes on what to do with the NEA. I\u2019ll talk about Mark Bauerlein\u2019s\u00a0New York Times\u00a0Op-Ed in the next post; here I look at the Cato Institute\u2019s Ryan Bourne\u2019s briefing paper \u201cEnd the National Endowment for the Arts\u201d. To begin I\u2019ll\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "issues"","block_context":{"text":"issues","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=951"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}