What I Found in a Thousand Towns by Dar Williams

Author:Dar Williams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 2017-09-05T04:00:00+00:00

Culture as a Magnet for Philanthropy

Although Carrboro’s cultural tide generally rose, with an arts center that started as an art collective and grew into what it is today, other towns and cities have had individual benefactors who have contributed the lion’s share of the original capital. When there is a venue for fine arts and/or performance—be it a community center, performance venue, or combination of the two—accompanied by a critical mass of community interest, there is often a moment when a local philanthropist gets involved.

I’m not talking about magical thinking that “attracts wealth.” I mean that if an old theater is getting back on its feet by showing classic films every Friday, a wealthy film buff might look at the friendly volunteers and tattered seats and decide that this is a place where he or she can make a difference. A generous person will open a checkbook for a cause no matter what, but when a town demonstrates some form of positive proximity, some kind of civic pride, it’s more likely that a philanthropist’s money will go to a local project rather than (or in addition to) a national organization or political campaign. I’ve met many philanthropists like this because they often like to meet artists.

These donors have bestowed great gifts upon their communities, but I have seen the value of their contribution going both ways. I believe the venues are good for them personally. Instead of being isolated in the rarified air of a mansion on the hill, watching movies in private screening rooms, and going to big cities for cultural events, these philanthropists’ commitment to local theaters has invested them, personally, in the places they live. I meet their spouses, and I meet their kids. I often get a sense that their interactions with the theaters are their primary relationship with their towns.

Sometimes whole communities have a higher income bracket than most. A cultural venue is an excellent method of distributing wealth in a way that benefits the whole community. I was one of the first performers at the newly renovated Avalon Theater in Easton, Maryland, in 1997. The Avalon is a jewel-box version of a grand opera house, ornate and compact with a small balcony. Not only had local philanthropists brought the theater back but also they’d done it down to the last detail, onstage and off. Ellen Vatne poured her energy into the theater and into making sure things went smoothly for the first musical acts. The board put me up in the historic Tidewater Inn, across the street, which had seen better days. Go to the website of the Tidewater today. It’s gorgeous. It didn’t look like that in 1997.

The next time I returned to Easton, there was a show at a small art gallery in conjunction with my performance so people could go see the paintings, have dinner, and stay for the show. I had always assumed Easton became more prosperous after the Avalon came along. I was wrong. The community had always been financially flush.

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