PHOTO NOTE: Discussed need to get some shots of the venues being affected to mix in with the talking heads.

Members of every corner of the Columbia art scene talked about money, getting butts in seats and the role city government should play in the art world during a forum earlier this month.

The six-person panel and audience at Midlands Technical College in the Harbison area included a mix of local artists and art administrators.

While some cities do better than others, panelist Michaela Pilar Brown, an artist and gallery owner, said every city has room for improvement, particularly when it comes to funding artists. 

Funding opportunities for artists usually require them to produce something based on the specific demands of the funder, Brown told the gathering hosted by the Free Times, a Columbia free arts weekly. Those demands can conflict with the interests and personal trajectory that artists have for themselves, Brown said. 

“We’ve got to find a way to support artists doing work that they’re deeply invested in doing, so that we get better art,” Brown said. “And when we get better art, we’ll get better community engagement with that art.”

One Columbia for Arts and Culture, a city-funded arts booster, is starting a grant to provide general support to artists. The Artist Assistance Grant is not tied to work on any particular project. Rather, recipients could use it to help with expenses like rent or car repairs, said panelist Xavier Blake, the executive director of One Columbia. 

“I think that kind of artist support is not surface (level),” Blake said. “It’s a little more deeper in connection with the artist, which then allows the artist to create the work that the city can enjoy.”

The grant is funded by two $1,000 donations the organization received over the summer.

Brown previously worked with Creatives Rebuild New York, an initiative that launched a Guaranteed Income for Artists program in 2022. That program distributed $1,000 monthly payments to 2,400 artists over the span of 18 months.

“Most of these artists weren’t spending money on materials, necessarily, or new projects,” Brown said. “Most of them were stabilizing their lives. People were paying for medical insurance. People were paying rent. But what happened is they were free of these problems, and they were able to make better art.”

It is often difficult to explain this idea to funders, Blake said.

The behavior of other artists is another source of financial trouble, Brown said.

There is a “race to the bottom” in the art world, where artists’ ability to negotiate a fair fee is hindered by competitors who will offer much lower rates, Brown said. 

“There’s a culture of professionalism that’s missing,” Brown said.

The economy is always a factor as well.

Panelist Kristin Cobb, the executive director of Harbison Theatre, where the discussion took place, said economic uncertainty is potentially affecting ticket sales.

“I think the economy is scary,” Cobb said. “I think people don’t know what the hell is going on. And that affects where people are going to spend their money.”

South Carolina Ballet CEO and Artistic Director William Starrett, also a panelist, said audiences seek out performances they’ve seen before and know to be good when money is tight. The Nutcracker and Dracula are two staple performances for Starrett’s ballet company. Starrett tweaks those performances every year to keep them fresh for returning customers, he said.

“It’s the same recipe every year,” Starrett said. “But it’s working, and people want to see it. They can rely on it.”