For days I have been trying to reconcile the positive words said about the arts and culture in the last Throne Speech and the stated intention of finding ways to inject additional financial support for the arts, with the facts of the 2012-2013 budget and the reduction in funding for arts and culture. Try as I might, the difference between what was said in the Throne Speech and the reality of the budget, just do not add-up.In an earlier article, I stated that in regard to the Throne Speech, the arts community was cautiously hopeful, but at the same time there was an underlying scepticism and given the history of Government’s neglect of the arts and culture, this caution seems justified. It has been nearly five months since the reading of the Throne Speech and possibly Government still has some surprises in the wings, in regard to culture, but right now it appears that once again, the arts have been relegated to the margins and what was said in the Throne Speech, was mere talk. The arts community cannot be blamed for being cynical.Actually, it is difficult to come to grips with Government allocations for culture. The way money is distributed, seems completely piecemeal. Some funding seems to come from Cultural Affairs, other amounts from Tourism and getting information needed for the writing of this article has been painfully complicated. Still, wherever I turn, there seems to be the same drastic cutting or elimination of funding for culture. This is tragic, for it has been convincingly demonstrated that cultural tourists tend to stay longer and spend more money. Culture, as I will demonstrate later in this article, has an important role to play in the revival of the economy, but Government hardly seems aware of this possibility. They don’t seem to get it. Where is the vision?One estimate has the total annual amount allocated to Bermuda’s non-government cultural institutions, as less than $200,000. These institutions include, the Bermudian Heritage Museum, the Bermuda National Trust, the Bermuda National Gallery, the St. George’s Historical Society, Carter House, the International Film Festival and other organisations, such as the Bermuda Festival. These are the very organisations that our cultural tourists want to visit, see and hear, yet most of these institutions do not get any funding at all from Government or at best, a token amount. I know, for example, that the National Museum of Bermuda and the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art, get no Government funding. Additionally, there are numerous other cultural groups, some musical, others theatrical or artistic and each enriches our community, yet without much in the way of official recognition, let alone funding. Even the Aquarium and Natural History Museum and Zoo, which is funded by Government, got substantially cut in this year’s budget.Consider this: What if these cultural institutions could no longer financially function, and were forced to close down (believe me, this is not an impossible situation) what effect would this have on our community, tourism and our economy? That is an important question and I suspect that their disappearance would have a greater effect than many realise. Certainly we would all be the poorer, in terms of the enrichment they provide, should they be forced to close.Most of our cultural institutions are funded by private patronage and without their support, our museums and other cultural institutions could not exist, but with the downturn in the economy, it has been increasingly difficult to find sufficient private funding. Yet, Government seems content to go along with the status quo and seems reluctant to shoulder their fair share in supporting these cultural institutions, even though they are the very ones that will help make tourism profitable again.Another area of concern is the Arts Council and its reduction in funding. But for those who may not know, the Arts Council was established in 1969 with a mandate to support and encourage all the arts, including dance, theatre, music, as well as the visual and literary arts. With that in mind, it was allocated funds to underwrite community arts projects and other concerns in the arts community. About three years ago, the Arts Council budget was $174,000; last year it was cut back to $100,000 and although I have been told it is the same this year, I have also read that it is $75,000. Whatever it is, it has received a substantial trimming. Fifteen years ago, the Arts Council budget was also $100,000, but considering inflation, the present amount, is a whole lot less in purchasing powerIn 2009, the Government set up the Cultural Legacy Fund, with a budget of $200,000. This too was to be used for the arts and I understand that it was seen as different from the Arts Council. Still, whatever the difference, it is generally perceived as duplicating the Arts Council. With this current budget, however, it too has had its budget substantially reduced, to $75,000, in fact. Would it make sense to combine the Cultural Legacy Fund with and under the Arts Council, thus bringing the Arts Council budget up to what it was three years ago? As it is, those on the Arts Council, whose responsibility, it is, to divide the budget among all the many and varied art organisation, as well as individual applicants, have difficulty doing so, considering the meagre size of its budget.I realise that money is in short supply these days, but it has not gone unnoticed that Government still seems able to find money for sports, such as cricket and football, to the tune of approximately $1 million dollars in this years budget alone, plus $400,000 for Carifta and who knows how much for golf and other sporting activities. With the exception of golf, what do these sports contribute to economic growth? In regard to the above, I have been told that in the last five years, cricket and football combined have received in excess of $20 million and one golf course received more than $12 million for refurbishment. If that had been invested, say, in St George’s, what could have accomplished, as an incredible tourist attraction?I am not suggesting that Government should not underwrite sports, nevertheless, Government seems to have its priorities backward. By funding our cultural institutions and especially our one World Heritage site, St George’s, the income generated could be used to fund sports. Currently, however, the arts and culture are a greatly underutilised resource.To illustrate just what the arts could contribute to the economy of Bermuda, however, consider and compare what the arts have accomplished in other cities, states and countries.The Jamaica Gleaner recently reported that in 2010, the Island’s arts industries brought in over $430 million in US dollars from royalties and personal performances alone.In the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, the arts contribute some $1.2 billion in GDP and the arts industry employs 28,000 people. The total population of the entire province is less than a million. The arts are a significant contributor to the provincial economy.In the small town of Beacon, New York, the DIA Arts Foundation alone, contributes $12.5 million dollars to the local economy. Beacon’s population is less than 15,000.In 2011, the Arnolfini Arts Centre in Bristol, England, celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, which is significant, for it is a primary example of how the arts have been successfully used to benefit economic development. This centre was instrumental in the regeneration of Bristol Harbour. It is one of the first examples in the UK of the arts being used to encourage economic rebirth. This has lead in the site, to the likely total investment of £600 million and the creation of 3,500 jobs.Over the last 30 years, Chattanooga, Tennessee, has had its depressed, unattractive downtown transformed into to a vibrant city centre, which is noted for a number of upscale cultural institution, such as the Hunter Museum of Art, the Tivoli Concert theatre and the Chattanooga Aquarium, not to mention, the nearby campus of the University of Tennessee, and in the aftermath of these developments, the opening of trendy restaurants and shops in the downtown area. Because the city government, during these years, had the foresight to invest in the arts and culture, in 2008, Volkswagen chose Chattanooga as the site of its US production facility. They said that the cities creative culture was the deciding factor in choosing it. Furthermore, Chattanooga is today considered one of the most appealing cities for living and thus there has been phenomenal growth in the region. The arts were the primary factor in turning this city around.These illustrations are, hopefully, enough to demonstrate what the arts can do in reviving an economy, but there are many other examples that could be cited. The arts and culture, if utilised wisely, will aid in developing wealth and jobs here in Bermuda, as well. Thus I appeal to our leadership, give the arts a chance.