Sooner or later, every artist encounters the reality underlying any creative endeavor– making art costs money. Depending on the type of project, that cost can be significant and forces a difficult choice: realize your artistic goal or make a profit. Or even come up short. This in turn forces yet another series of choices. Do you compromise your art in some way? What changes can you make to achieve the same results but at a lower cost? And where do you draw that line?
The members of Brian Lynch’s NYU Afro-Caribbean Jazz Octet confronted that very question as they planned their tour. The fact is that eight people are a lot to send overseas. The most basic costs multiplied quickly (food, transportation, equipment, housing) and even a very streamlined approach appeared to overshoot the mark. All of the partners in this project had been extremely supportive and generous, but the group members understood that they too had a responsibility to ensure that the project could work in a tight economy…
The members recognized that the music just could not be done justice without every musician participating– there were no “spare parts.” The music had not been written and arranged that way, and the group’s unique dynamic depended on the energy that each player had brought over the course of a year’s mentor-ship under Brian Lynch. Every member had to go on the tour. So the students opted to put the music first, cut the budget for food in half and take it upon themselves to fundraise the rest.
Their energy did not go unnoticed. NYFA responded by providing a structure for them to raise money, and NYU Steinhardt’s Jazz Studies program helped them find some performance opportunities from which they could put the compensation towards the trip.
The students will attempt to close the final gap this week with a special event at the Tutuma Social Club in midtown Manhattan. The group will perform a “kick-off” concert from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. and Tutuma will donate a portion of the proceeds directly to the trip. Tutuma has a history of supporting the music community, and the club’s ownership was so impressed with the students’ dedication to the project that they shifted around the club’s schedule to accommodate this event…not to mention making a very generous gesture in support of NYFA’s cultural diplomacy effort. Tutuma owner Santina Matwey said “I’m so happy to be able to help these musicians achieve their goal. I’m very proud to have them represent the United States.”
So, an open question to other artists out there– how do you handle funding issues for your art? Do you try to cut the costs, increase the revenues, a combination of both, or something totally different? What do you think of the students’ strategy in this case, and would you have tried another approach? Please share your thoughts and insights, as funding is one of those universal issues in the arts and highlighting alternative approaches will help all artists…
And if you live in the area, please come out to hear the Brian Lynch NYU Afro-Caribbean Jazz Octet– not only will you get to experience some great live music, but the students and Brian would love to meet other artists (and non-artists!) who have taken an interest in this initiative and would welcome the chance to hear about your projects as well. Tutuma Social Club is located at 164 East 56th Street in Manhattan, and the show begins promptly at 6:00 p.m.
Finally, one more special thank you to Tutuma (and to Santina Matwey and Gabriel Alegria in particular) for helping the students and NYFA’s cultural diplomacy tour to Latvia. It is heartwarming to see artistic commitment recognized and matched by others who love the arts!
