Fund drive for the arts in Detroit suggests possible model elsewhere
I don't know what the overall track record for such community funds is; one discouraging sign is what happened in Orlando, where the local opera company essentially folded last season, despite a united arts fund. But now comes word of a successful drive in Detroit, a city that hasn't exactly been a boom town of late. A remarkable $4.8 million was raised there last week in a burst of fundraising fervor that benefited 75 arts groups there, including the Detroit Symphony ($596,000). Given the economy, that's
I know that arts groups can be very turf-conscious, especially when it comes to harvesting prospective donors, so a campaign like this can be tricky. But there's something about the concept that seems awfully appealing to me. It's a way of reinforcing a message that can't be underlined enough -- the arts are good for everybody in the community and everybody who visits the community.
It may be worth looking at a united fund here, to drive home that point and offer people a chance to step up to the plate in a communal way.
