Leaking roofs and crumbling walls at Minnesota’s arts and cultural organizations

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“I am sinking fast into the money pit and I don’t want to drag you down with me. Save yourself while there’s still time!” — Tom Hanks (as Walter), “The Money Pit”

Arts news often shows up as extremes: a show that is dazzlingly good or horrifyingly bad, an exciting capital campaign or a debt-ridden, dramatic closure. These may not be hard-and-fast rules, but I ask you: When was the last time you read a fascinating article about a theater “hanging in there, kinda”?

Yet so goes it for most Minnesota theaters, venues and arts and cultural organizations. Except perhaps for those in a philanthropic-darling phase where funding comes in large, synchronous waves, can any truly say they are thriving? (And if so, could they share their sustainability plan in 500 characters or less, including spaces, please?)

Moving to Minnesota in 2003, I fell in love with the character of the historic brick buildings in northeast Minneapolis and the iconic cobblestone pathways between them. When the Great Recession began to take root, we organized to help keep artists in that neighborhood in place, worked to support ownership of buildings, and rallied around accessibility — all uphill battles even in a state flush with arts funding.

Fast-forward 15 years and we find ourselves in another moment of crisis. My work supporting the region’s creative and cultural districts continues to put me in contact with arts and culture spaces across the metro area. These organizations are cornerstones of their communities, and we are hearing from many of them about an increasingly urgent need for capital paired with an inability to reconcile the post-COVID cash flow. It’s a recipe ripe for another series of losses if we are not careful.

In addition to dwindling philanthropic funds, there’s a lack of sufficient infrastructure funding to address the leaking roofs, crumbling walls and aging pipes that smell like 100 years of city bottom. It’s not the sexiest grant to bring to the boardroom, but it’s still important. After all, who will fix the bathroom piping so the toilet doesn’t overflow during intermission? (It’s happened.)