The art world hit by the economy on many different levels

Robert Pennor has been involved in art his whole life, but the Bolingbrook painter recently has noticed a drop in business at the fairs where he sells his work - evidence yet another industry has been hurt by the ailing economy.

Pennor says he will have attended about a dozen art fairs by summer's end, and so far he's been lucky just to break even.

"Times are tough. People aren't spending money now," he said. "They're afraid of losing their jobs, if they haven't already."

Like many in the art world, Pennor is seeing the effects of the struggling economy firsthand as consumers hold tight to their purse strings.

"Whenever times are hard, artists and the arts in general are going to suffer," said David Marcet, art professor at Benedictine University in Lisle.

Some organizers are seeing fewer artists apply to display their work at their fairs.

Beth Morin, chairwoman for the Naperville Woman's Club Fine Art Fair, said applications for the July show were down about 10 percent compared with last year. Meanwhile, the Naperville Riverwalk Fine Arts Fair saw a 15 percent decrease in applications for its show Sept. 19 and 20, Chairwoman Debbie Venezia said.

Artists who display their work at fairs not only have to buy supplies to create their art, but also must pay application and booth fees, transportation and meal costs and, in some cases, lodging expenses.

"Even if you exhibit - there is no guarantee that you are going to sell anything," Venezia said. "It's up to the buyers on what they want."

As a result, Marcet said, artists are becoming more resourceful in order to survive.

"Artists will always be making art and that's really never going to change," he said. "As far as the business end of it, people are just being more conservative with how they spend."

Most artists have other jobs and don't rely solely on income from their art, he said.

Paulo De Andrea, a Chicago photographer, says he works other jobs related to his passion to help buffer him against the economy.

Still, even in hard times, there are good days. Pennor sold a number of small paintings and received a $1,000 commission at the Naperville Woman's Club Fine Art Fair. Marcet, who is also a painter, said he has done quite well this year.

Besides the direct loss of income from sales of their pieces, artists also are coping with the loss of grants and funding.

As officials have pared money from the state budget, they have made significant cuts in the amount of money used to support the arts in Illinois.

In the past three years, the Illinois Arts Council's budget has dropped nearly 60 percent. A state agency, the council provides funding and assistance to artists and art organizations throughout Illinois in visual arts, dance, music, theater and media arts.

The council expects about $7.8 million in state money for fiscal year 2010. That figure is down from the $19.4 million it received for the 2007 budget.

"This year with the big cuts, it will not only affect the dollar amount of the grants but also the number awarded," said Terry Scrogum, executive director of the Illinois Arts Council.

Scrogum said the impact could mean fewer outreach opportunities for organizations, fewer performances, fewer staff members or fewer opportunities to work with children.

Some fear the impact of the council's smaller budget may be felt on a wider scale.

"Not only is this impacting the artists and the staff that work in the organizations, but it also is affecting the community they work in," said Scarlett Swerdlow, advocacy and communications director at the Arts Alliance Illinois, an advocacy group.

ClaySpace Ceramic Arts Studio is feeling the effects of the budget cuts firsthand.

The Warrenville organization had hoped to maintain an internship program started this year with an Illinois Arts Council grant. Studio leaders recently learned the Youth Employment Program Grant has been suspended due to budget cuts.

ClaySpace now is looking for other ways to fund the program that allowed two high school interns to assist at the studio and further their own experience in the art form.

"We took great pride in the program," ClaySpace Vice President Linda Kiepke said.

As the Hinsdale Center for the Arts prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary, the organization also will have to anticipate a tighter financial year.

The center, which serves more than 95 communities in DuPage and western Cook counties, has reduced its budgeted expenditures by 11 percent due to decreases in funding from both the Illinois Arts Council and a $50,000 cut in support from the village of Hinsdale.

"It's always a challenge for arts organizations, even in good times," said Tom De Walle, executive director of the Hinsdale Center for the Arts.

Although some cuts have been made, De Walle insists it will not affect the center's programming.

"We're trying to generate additional support from individual donors as well as foundation donors and certainly make the elected officials aware of what is happening with the cutbacks," he said.

The center is waiting to find out whether it will receive grants it has applied for through the Illinois Arts Council and how much it will receive.

A Community Arts Access Re-Granting Program grant, for example, would allow the center to distribute money to other organizations to increase accessibility to the arts. Last year 12 organizations benefited from the grant. The Illinois Arts Council is expected to make decisions on grant awards Sept. 10.

"People who are involved with the arts have to be eternally optimistic because getting funding for the arts is never easy," Scrogum said.

Swerdlow said the cuts hinder Illinois artists' and art organizations' ability to contribute to the economic recovery and that the arts are a proven investment. She encourages those concerned with budget cuts in the arts to contact the governor and their state senator and representative.