Nevada artists and arts nonprofits are tired, but not because we’ve run out of ideas or energy or passion. We’re tired because we are constantly asked to prove our worth in economic terms, spreadsheets and graphs—a language different from the elemental value we know the arts to propel—and despite our consistent illustration in this second language, we have watched creativity pushed to the margins, because it’s easy to chop.
As national axes swing on lightning-fast pendulums, amid the concern, there is a spot of hope.
Nevada’s Legislature is considering AB 219, a proposal that would allocate just 1% of the state’s existing live-entertainment tax revenue to the Nevada Arts Council. (As this goes to print, we await its fate). It’s a modest ask with the potential to make a monumental difference…