Governor celebrates Arizona arts with a great, big zero

Arizona arts advocates are a generous lot, in more ways than one.

On Tuesday, the Arizona Citizens for the Arts held its annual Governor's Arts Awards, which celebrates the state's best artists and the people who support them.

Things started out just a little awkwardly, when the guy responsible for cutting a million bucks from the state's funding for the arts – Gov. Doug Ducey – got up in front of everyone to tell them how important funding for the arts is to the state's economic well-being.

It's no secret that since the Great Recession, arts funding, both private and public, has been scarce. But money for the arts got considerably scarcer this year, when the fiscal 2016 budget signed by Ducey zeroed out a $1 million allocation to the Arizona Commission of the Arts, which for the past two years has used the money to fund grants to artists.

Being the Governor's awards program, Ducey kicked the event off with an energetic ode to the arts, which he called an important part of the economic-development tool kit. Right up there with quality higher education, which also took a substantial, $104 million budget hit this year.

Life is full of ironies, of course. Cosmically speaking, a governor committed to economic development telling a group of people whose state funding he just cut that they are an invaluable part of the state's economic-development plan is hard to get your intellectual arms around. The moment, like I said, was... awkward.

I've got to say, though, that the crowd in the downtown Sheraton ballroom last night took it well. They applauded the governor. Politely. Not what you would call enthusiastically. But politely. No boos. No desserts tossed on stage.

But, almost to a person, every recipient of a Governor's Arts Award last night observed in their acceptance speeches that the arts in Arizona would be in a lot better shape when the state again starts kicking in a few bucks for the cause.

And, every time, the crowd roared. Politely, of course. Respectfully. It being the Governor's Arts Awards, and all.

But the irony of it all most certainly was not missed on this crowd.

I understand the conservative determination to create a budget that requires government to live within its means. I also understand the current, lethargic state of Arizona's economy.

But what Ducey told the audience Tuesday night does not reflect a belief that funding of the arts is a private sector responsibility, or that cutting state support for the arts is regrettable nod to reality. His speech strongly suggests that a health arts community is a vital part of economic development.

If I were hearing Ducey's speech in a vacuum, I would assume he is a full-throated advocate for increasing state funding for the arts. I would think this governor intends to leverage a strong, growing arts community as a lure to companies looking to expand to Arizona.

Am I wrong? Said the governor at the Governor's Arts Awards:

"It's a resilient industry that embodies the very best in Arizona creativity and innovation.

"It generates jobs and revenue – more than half a billion annually, in addition to millions in tax revenues … and employs nearly 50 thousand Arizonans.

"It brings visitors and attracts industry.

"It enriches communities, promotes civic pride and contributes to the economic health and competitiveness that make Arizona great.

"Simply put, it's a critical part of building our future."