Contact Information: 521 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155. Phone: (651) 296-4244. E-mail: rep.julie.bunn@house.mn.

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2006 MCA Candidate Survey Results:

1. Minnesota’s nearly 1600 non-profit arts and cultural organizations provide access to the arts and support quality of life in every corner of the state. While providing over 22,000 jobs, arts organizations served nearly 4.5 million people in 2004.
What arts activities have you attended, participated in or supported in the last year?
Check all that apply: Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Dance, Other.

Answer: Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Literary Arts.

2. Over the last three biennium the State Arts Board and Regional Arts Council appropriations were cut by 34.5%. These are substantially larger cuts than the cuts to the overall state budget. Would you support an increase in arts funding to restore the cuts that were made, in recognition of the important role the arts and culture play in our economy and in our quality of life? Select One: Enthusiastically Support, Support, Neutral, Opposed.

Answer: Enthusiastically Support.

3. During the 2006 legislative session the legislature considered a constitutional dedication of funds for water, hunting and angling and various cultural purposes including the arts. Would you support a similar constitutional amendment in the 2007 legislative session? Select One: Yes, No, Don’t Know

Answer: Don’t Know.

4. Research shows that students with high levels of arts participation outperform other students on virtually every measure from standardized tests to community participation, and that learning through the arts has a significant effect on learning in other areas, particularly in the early years. Would you support policies and funding to increase the availability of the arts in our schools? Select One: Enthusiastically Support, Support, Neutral, Opposed

Answer: Enthusiastically Support.

5. We would welcome any additional comments you would like to make with regards to the arts in Minnesota.

Comments: We need legislators who will do more than “act” like they support the arts. Adding arts funding language to a bill that the legislator knows has no chance of passing because it forces legislators, or the public if it went to a referendum, to choose between funding for clean water and the arts, on the one hand, and maintaining funding for education, health care and disabilities services, on the other, has no future and does nothing to further support for the arts. As an economist and someone whose family is heavily involved in the arts, I understand the importance of the arts to our economy and to our quality of life and will work for real solutions to restore arts funding in our state. As an economist who believes in responsible governance, and who has studied and taught public finance, on principle, I generally oppose constitutional amendments that dedicate funds. Such dedication through the Constitution reflects both bad fiscal management (and can lower the state’s bond ratings) and a failure to lead on the part of our legislators. We elect representatives to have a vision of a prosperous and healthy future for our state, to set priorities for our state and budget accordingly, and to pass legislation to achieve those goals. By supporting a variety of Constitutional amendments to dedicate funds, legislators are giving up accountability and responsibility and putting the state on auto-pilot. Having said this, due to the 30 year decline in natural resources funding, the need to fund clean water legacy efforts, and the recent dramatic decline in support for the arts, if our leadership continues to fail us in these areas, and if we are not made to choose between the arts and clean water on the one hand, and maintaining support for education, health care, and people with disabilities, on the other, I will consider supporting dedication of funds.

Additional Notes from MCA: None.

Contact Information: 409 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155. Phone: (651) 296-1147. E-mail: rep.marsha.swails@house.mn.

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2006 MCA Candidate Survey Results:

1. Minnesota’s nearly 1600 non-profit arts and cultural organizations provide access to the arts and support quality of life in every corner of the state. While providing over 22,000 jobs, arts organizations served nearly 4.5 million people in 2004.
What arts activities have you attended, participated in or supported in the last year?
Check all that apply: Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Dance, Other.

Answer: Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Dance.

2. Over the last three biennium the State Arts Board and Regional Arts Council appropriations were cut by 34.5%. These are substantially larger cuts than the cuts to the overall state budget. Would you support an increase in arts funding to restore the cuts that were made, in recognition of the important role the arts and culture play in our economy and in our quality of life? Select One: Enthusiastically Support, Support, Neutral, Opposed.

Answer: Support.

3. During the 2006 legislative session the legislature considered a constitutional dedication of funds for water, hunting and angling and various cultural purposes including the arts. Would you support a similar constitutional amendment in the 2007 legislative session? Select One: Yes, No, Don’t Know

Answer: Yes.

4. Research shows that students with high levels of arts participation outperform other students on virtually every measure from standardized tests to community participation, and that learning through the arts has a significant effect on learning in other areas, particularly in the early years. Would you support policies and funding to increase the availability of the arts in our schools? Select One: Enthusiastically Support, Support, Neutral, Opposed

Answer: Enthusiastically Support.

5. We would welcome any additional comments you would like to make with regards to the arts in Minnesota.

Comments: I served on the Minnesota Best Practices Committee for the Fine Arts as an innovative theater teacher at the secondary level. I served as president of the Woodbury Community Theater. My daughter was an accomplished dancer with the Minnesota Ballet Company. The arts are incredibly important to our family. I’ve been amazed that some school districts feel the way to balance their budgets is to reduce opportunities for students to experience the arts. As a theater teacher, I saw how confident some academically underperforming students improved. The opportunity to create, whether performing arts or visual arts, is a universal need in the human psyche. Our appreciation for the fine arts grows when we have been part of them. Our culture is rich because of the legacy of our artists, musicians, actors, and poets.

Additional Notes from MCA: None.

Contact Information: 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Capitol Building, Room 306, St. Paul, MN 55155-1606. Phone: 651.296.4166.

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2006 MCA Candidate Survey Results: Candidate did not respond to survey.

Additional Notes from MCA: None.

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2006 MCA Candidate Survey Results: Candidates did not respond to survey.

Additional notes from MCA:

April, 2006 : In a statement made regarding the Senate passage of the proposed consitutional amendment on conservation, clean water, public broadcasting and the arts, Governor Pawlenty displayed his neglect of the value of the arts: “While I appreciate the Senate’s willingness to vote on this important issue, I hope the bill will be more focused in its final version. Conservation and clean water are too important to be watered down by other issues. While the arts and public broadcasting are important, they do not rise to the level of being in need of dedicated constitutional support.”

May, 2005: Governor Pawlenty vetoed a measure to create an official poet laureate in Minnesota, remarking: “Even though we have a state ‘folklorist’, I have concern that this will lead to calls for other similar positions. We could also see requests for a state mime, interpretive dancer, or potter…”. Minnesota would have joined its neighboring states North and South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin in having an official poet laureate if Pawlenty had not vetoed the bill.