A commenter yesterday pointed me to this news, which appears to first have been reported by The News Tribune's Joe Turner last Friday: there are bills in both the state House and Senate calling for the erasure—for the 2009-2011 biennium—of Washington State Arts Commission's 1/2 of 1% for Art program.

Even if you think public art is dumb (and some of it is—we're not exactly in a golden period), this program has even recently produced and supported good works (Buster Simpson's Poetic License in Walla Walla, Brian Tolle's Stronghold at UW, Robert Irwin's Nine Spaces, Nine Trees at UW), and according to WSAC spokesman Mark Gerth, it's one of only four state programs in the nation to include the public schools. It's also the second oldest percent-for-art program in the country, founded in 1974. (The way it works is that money from public construction—1/2 of 1 percent of the construction budget that's spent on publicly accessible areas [not sewers]—goes to buy art.)

Should the money be suspended for two years? Would two years turn to forever? Would the money saved be enough to make a dent or is this more about politics? (There are far more Rs than Ds sponsoring the bills.) Will these even pass?

The program's total budgets in the last few years have been about $2 million annually, Gerth said.

WSAC hasn't come out with an official statement on the bills yet; executive director Kris Tucker is traveling today and was interviewed by KPLU yesterday.

UPDATE: This wasn't really worth waiting for, but here's WSAC's official statement. The arts commission itself barely sounds convinced.

Senate Bill 5163 and House Bill 1376 would remove the requirement to purchase art for public buildings during the 2009-2011 biennium. We disagree with this approach. Washington’s public art program was established in 1974 and has made our state’s buildings better, improved schools in all parts of the state, enhanced our public spaces, and provided jobs for hundreds of artists, fabricators, technicians, and other skilled workers.

The Art in Public Places program is managed by the Washington State Arts Commission. The program budget in FY08 was approximately $2 million in capital budget funds for approximately fifty projects, including artwork in elementary schools, on college campuses, and state agencies.

The arts are important to Washington's economic recovery. Quality of life is a key factor in recruiting and retaining a skilled workforce; the arts also contribute to community revitalization, tourism, and educational achievement. Investments in the arts have made a difference in another difficult financial era, and programs like the Federal Arts Project of the WPA helped America to emerge from the Great Depression.