And that will take money. Over the past few decades, the arts in New York have been supported by a mix of earned income, government support and private giving by individuals and corporations. That mix is likely to continue, but the ratios will be changing. Arts groups will have to adapt. The baby boomers will need to become philanthropists, said BAM's Melillo.
Corporate philanthropy is dead.
Where and how the city budgets its priorities in the 21st Century is key, said Mary Schmidt Campbell, dean of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. When she came to New York, in 1977, the city was on the verge of bankruptcy. And the rationale was that the core of the city's identity resided in its role as a cultural capital. It's ironic that the financial commitment on the part of the city is less now than it was 22 years ago. But you have to make sure that's not the test, he said.