Should municipal tax ratepayers subsidize the Barrhead Art Club?
That is a question town and county councillors will have to ask themselves as they put the final touches on their prospective budgets after the club asked town council for financial support. This week the club plans to ask the County of Barrhead as well. See page 3A for the story on the club’s request to town council.
And if the Barrhead Leader editorial staff has any say in it — the answer will be no.
Not that we don’t believe the non-profit club doesn’t provide a worthwhile community service, but so do other groups, including those with an artistic slant, such as the local photography club or the Barrhead Arts Council.
And those are just two of the many worthwhile non-profit groups in the area. Once you open the door to one, other groups will come out of the woodwork expecting the same support. Rightfully so.
With all due respect to the Barrhead Art Club, we believe their request is premature. Before any non-profit group asks for municipal funding we believe they need to exhaust all other avenues first.
Even though the club still has enough funds in reserve for eight years, they approached town council before they fully investigated the possibility of casino funding or other government grants.
But our greatest objection with municipal funding for the art club, is that many of its artists are selling their works.
While there is nothing wrong with an artist wanting to profit from the sale of their art, but should a municipal government subsidize it?
Once again, we believe the answer is no. It is also something, as a staff, we struggle with on a continuous basis.
As a community paper we are continually asked to do stories that promote a particular group or event. Often we do, including featuring some of the artists who showcase their artwork at the Barrhead Art Club gallery. Why? Often it is because we feel it is in the communities’ best interest. The choice isn’t always clear-cut, so we can sympathize about the funding decisions councillors have to make.
That being said, in this case we don’t feel it is that ambiguous.
Yes, the art club provides a valuable service to the community and many of its events do bring economic activity to the area, but if the town and county grants this request we feel it would be sending the wrong message to residents and other non-profit groups.
