Rocco Landesman Defends 'Supply and Demand' Arguments

Rocco Landesman, the Broadway producer responsible for a multitude of hits and current chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, published an post in his blog today which discussed the changing role of the NEA in the future, how to balance supply and demand in the arts, and more.

"I cited the NEA's 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), which reports a five percentage point decrease in arts audiences in this country. This is juxtaposed against a 23% increase in not-for-profit arts organizations, and a rate of growth for not-for-profit performing arts organizations, specifically, that was 60% greater than that for the total U.S. population...anyone who hears these two numbers has to ask about balancing the equation, which means either increasing demand or, yes, maybe decreasing supply." Landesman writes. He goes on to outline what he believes might help solve the disconnect:

"Increase arts education...exposure to the arts - early and often - builds future audiences. Take advantage of related demand. As we are watching audiences at not-for-profit arts organizations shrink, we are seeing an explosion of demand for singing and dancing...our not-for-profit arts organizations need to also be feeding that hunger. Offer free samples...if you offer a taste of a high quality product, people will come back for more. Technology is key...people who consume art via the Internet and electronic media are nearly three times as likely to attend arts events, that they attend a greater number of live events, and that they also attend a greater variety of arts events. Examine our arts infrastructure. There are 5.7 million arts workers in this country and two million artists. Do we need three administrators for every artist?"

Lastly, Landesman invited discussion, writing: "I want to have the NEA play a role in those conversations, and I encourage you to share your thoughts in comments on this blog post. I will also be inviting other voices to join the conversation on this blog, so look for guest postings in the coming weeks with the hashtag #SupplyDemand."

Landesman grew up in St. Louis, where his father and uncle owned the Crystal Palace cabaret, giving young Rocco an early intro to stars like Barbra Streisand, Mike Nichols and Lenny Bruce. With a doctorate from the Yale School of Drama in hand, Landesman taught at the school for a spell, owned a handful of racehorses, and ran a small hedge fund before teaming up with the Production Company Dodger Theatricals. With Dodger, Landesman co-produced the retro musical Pump Boys and Dinettes in 1982 and the Tony-winning Big River in 1985. In 1987, he became president at Jujamcyn Theaters, the owner of five Broadway venues (the ST. James, the Eugene O'Neill, the Al Hirschfeld, the Walter Kerr and the August Wilson) and the third-biggest Broadway theater owner behind the Shubert and Nederlander Organizations; he became chairman of the NEA in 2009.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is a United States federally funded and donation assisted program that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current chairman is the poet and former CEO Dana Gioia and it has its offices in the Old Post Office building, in Washington, D.C.

Visit Landesman's blog and read the entire blog entry here.

Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski