2014 Election: In their own Words: If you had to cut funding and had to choose between arts programs in schools, and funding for public art, which would you cut first?

RI Governor

Todd Giroux (D): I would enhance school arts programs if it were a choice. The art programs that are always underfunded is the place where we need to invest the most. When you bring in the arts model, you have role models from the community who show the pathways to the career, such as industrial design.

Public art would benefit from the low interest commerce funds that I am proposing.

Gina Raimondo (D): I don’t think we have to make a choice between cutting one or the other; we must make investments in both. RI has amazing artistic and cultural assets that can make substantial contributions to our economy. And, of course, we must have flourishing, quality schools in order to prepare our students to succeed, and make our state competitive. But both are critically important — and smart investments can help both to thrive. For example, my education plan calls for a new focus on extracurricular and enrichment activities like arts and music programs. These programs will not only help our students to grow and learn new skills — they will also help to bolster our arts and culture industry well into the future.

Clay Pell (D): I will not be cutting either; in fact, I will be making significant investments in both. Art, innovation and the creative economy are Rhode Island’s heritage and a strategic competitive advantage for us as we find areas to grow and invest in the future. In our schools, I am deeply concerned by a high-stakes testing regime that has de-emphasized the arts and all the other creative approaches through which many students learn best. My education plan promotes the importance of arts education in our schools and improving arts programs, not cutting them.

Additionally, I believe public art provides economic benefits to the state and helps attract more artists and cultural visitors to the state. That’s why I have included these programs in my economic plan itself. If I had to make cuts to the state budget, I am confident there are ways to achieve efficiencies in government administration that would avoid cuts to arts and culture programs.

Providence Mayor

Daniel Harrop (R): Public art. I wouldn’t want to cut either, but the schools cannot afford any more cuts in anything.

Buddy Cianci (I): This simply wouldn’t happen. I’ve always found money for public art and arts programs in schools. For me, arts are a priority citywide, and priorities are something you simply don’t chose between. You just get them done.

Michael Solomon (D): My vision for Providence schools includes taking money out of middle management so we can develop well-rounded curricula for students of all ages. This includes increased funding for art programs. If it came down to it, I would want to maintain funding for art programs in schools because we should constantly be trying to cultivate the next generation of great artists. We are the creative capital, after all.

Jorge Elorza (D): This does not have to be a zero-sum game in which investing in one means taking away from the other. Arts programs in the schools should be involved in making public art. My plan for full service community schools will take community partners who are already doing great work and bring them within our school walls. We have so many fantastic organizations in this city providing our students with arts and music programming: New Urban Arts, Community MusicWorks, the Manton Avenue Project, Everett Dance School, the Avenue Concept, and many more. Bringing them into the schools to engage more directly with our students and teachers has amazing potential to produce public art that we can all enjoy.

Brett Smiley (D): I would choose to support, with public funds, whatever we couldn’t get private or corporate support for. I believe that is where the mayor as fundraiser really comes into play. I have a background in fundraising, and there are private and corporate partners that would be interested in providing more support for specific programs and initiatives. We need to assess what is out there and know better what our available resource pool really is.