6-20-08
The Next IAC Budget
Mop-top Rod and Mighty Mike are at it again, playing their annual blood sport of “my clout’s bigger than your clout” over the State of Illinois budget. Their arrogant shenanigans affect us in many ways, but PerformInk’s immediate concern is the allotment for the Illinois Arts Council. To remind you: last year Gov. Blago proposed $20.6 million for the Illinois Arts Council (IAC) to which the Illinois General Assembly added another $2.6 million for $23.2 million for the most generous-ever IAC funding. Then Blago slashed it all by 30 percent, rolling the IAC back to $16.2 million. The General Assembly wanted to veto the Guv’s budget but State Senate Prez Emil Jones, a Blago lackey, wouldn’t allow a veto vote to reach the floor.
In his Fiscal 2009 budget proposal, the governor proposed IAC funding at last year’s final level, $16.2 million (actually $15.2 million when pass-through funding for the Illinois Humanities Council is subtracted), to which the General Assembly added $3.5 million to bring the total to $19.7 million. This so-called Madigan budget (for Speaker of the House Michael Madigan) was approved by the House and Senate and sent off to Blago, who says it violates the state constitution because it’s a deficit budget. Madigan says balancing the budget is the governor’s problem, not the General Assembly’s. And so we have our annual civics lesson in courageous political leadership and responsible government.
By the way, since the FY2008 budget for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) was bumped by Congress to $144.7 million (from the $128.4 proposed by President Bush), the IAC budget saw a jump in its NEA State and Regional Partnerships grant. The same thing may happen again in 2009. President Bush’s proposed NEA funding for FY2009 is the same as his FY2008 proposal, $128.4 million; but on June 11 the House of Representatives Interior Appropriations Subcommittee bumped up the NEA by $15.3 million over the final 2008 figure to $160 million. If approved, the budget would raise State and Regional Partnerships funding from $39.4 million to $43.6 million and Direct Grants from $49.2 million to $56 million.
Of course, there’s a long way to go before the figures are final: the House Interior Committee must take up its Subcommittee’s proposal, and then the full House itself, with a parallel process in the Senate. Final NEA funding will be approved or vetoed by the President as part of an omnibus funding bill, since the President does not have line item veto authority. The House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee was chaired for many years by the late Chicago Congressman Sidney R. Yates, known as “Mr. Arts.” The Subcommittee now is chaired by Norm Dicks (D-WA).
The Morse Theatre, the $6 million private venture reconstruction of the old movie house at 1330 W. Morse, won’t make the June opening date originally suggested when construction got underway last autumn. Hey, so what else is new? However, an opening date of Sept. 6 has been set for the project, first reported in PerformInk last Nov. 9. The original 1912 Morse was demolished (except for the facade and rear walls) to allow construction of a state-of-the-art, 299-seat music venue/cabaret and separate restaurant. The Morse is being developed by Rogers Park Entertainment Ventures, Inc. under managing partner Andrew McGhee.
The entire complex will be ADA compliant and green compliant, featuring a high percentage of recycled bricks, so-called “green” steel (made from recycled steel) and “green” concrete (a particular mix with a high percentage of potash), and a sedum roof garden. The architects, Greene & Proppe Design, will restore the original two-story brick-and-terra cotta facade of the building. Sound design is by TC Furlong, Inc., lighting by Lightswitch and acoustics by the Talaske Group, Inc.
Programming will focus on live jazz, blues, bluegrass, R&B, gospel and world music. The nearly square, 27’ x 25’ stage won’t be equipped for elaborate theatre productions, nonetheless appropriate short-term theatre events are possible. Andy McGhee has had several conversations with Lifeline’s Dorothy Milne about using the Morse for Lifeline’s children’s theatre program.
Circle Theatre has put on hold its plans to develop a new space within the proposed Oak Park Harrison Street Arts District. The possibility of a move isn’t dead but will be delayed at least until late 2010, when the troupe’s lease expires on its long-time home at 7300 W. Madison Street in Forest Park. Meanwhile, Circle will pay for—as it has in the past—capital improvements to the Madison Street venue. A late May announcement said new seats and risers and expanded washrooms would be installed immediately.
In announcing the go-slow approach to a new home, Circle said, “…the potential move to Oak Park will not happen as expected…many things have hampered our planning, including supportive but slow donations and difficult lease negotiations.” The Circle board has questioned whether funds earmarked for a new home might not be better invested in purchasing a building vs. the build-out cost of another leased property. The policy shift now gives Circle two-plus years to continue fundraising and assess its long-term future.
The Nederlander Organization, which rarely announces or comments upon its internal business dealings, quietly bought out its partner in Broadway in Chicago a little over six months ago. That partner, Live Nation, originally owned the Ford Center/Oriental Theatre and 50 percent of the Cadillac Palace (the Nederlanders owned the other 50 percent plus the Shubert/LaSalle Bank Theatre). The Nederlanders now own outright the three principal Broadway in Chicago houses, plus the presenting name itself.
Speaking of the Shubert/LaSalle Bank Theatre, it’s now the Bank of America Theatre since BofA bought out the LaSalle Bank. Y’know, that theatre changes names almost as often as Italy changes governments. Can’t we just call it Lou’s Place?