The government acquired these works of art as payment for taxes due, from artists who were cash poor but product rich. The artists in turn got relief from a tax debt, and the opportunity to have their work seen by many of their fellow citizens. There are museums of contemporary and folk art, auditoriums, concert halls, research libraries and outdoor performance arenas. Performers, composers, artists and artisans work under contract or as freelancers in projects paid for by the government. As in our country, salaries are not adequate.
Musicians employed by the state symphony have to take in students in order to survive.
Lithographers who display their works in the Museum do framing to bring in extra cash. As in every country, artists tend to move around in search of work, display space, and stipends. Many of the musicians who play in the Oaxaca orchestra are from Jalisco and Vera Cruz, and some Oaxacans perform in the National Opera in Mexico City. A few Oaxacans have become world-famous. Barrel chested and middle aged, dressed in a flannel shirt and cloth pants, his mustache and hair worn longish and shaggy, his appearance betrays nothing of his tremendous talent or his financial status.