We spoke, MAC listened

Behold, the power of political action!

We have spoken, and the powers that be have listened.

Unless you're a devoted reader of my blog, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Or maybe you think I'm going on another one of my lunatic rants inspired by those populist political movements of so long ago. Where did all those movements go, anyway?

I digress. Time to get back on track.

Last week I and others in the local arts community were a little bit shocked to hear that the Missouri Arts Council had snuffed Cape Girardeau on its scheduled "listening tour" stops around the state. Let me take you back and recount exactly how the events occurred.

Last Thursday (April 5) I received the obligatory news release via e-mail from the Missouri Arts Council detailing the stops this month on its "listening tour" of the state. MAC is a wing of the Missouri Department of Economic Development that doles out arts funding to local entities and determines what approach the state should take in promoting the arts.

Now we're back on track. This listening tour is a chance for residents across the state to have their say on MAC's strategic plan, a long-term focus on arts in the state. I say "across the state," but when I looked at the scheduled dates, Southeast Missouri was noticeably absent from the tour.

Instead, Columbia, Springfield, Joplin, Kirksville, St. Louis, St. Joseph and Kansas City were all part of the tour. All those places are a long way from Cape Girardeau.

Admittedly, I was not pleased, nor were many other people, so I put the information up on my blog, Shaking Off Daylight (had to get a plug in there). How could Cape Girardeau be left out, especially when our very own Dr. Joel Ray had just been appointed to the MAC board of directors, the first Southeast Missouri resident to serve on the board in more than 20 years?

E-mails, letters and phone calls, one of them from state Rep. Nathan Cooper, to the MAC offices followed, where MAC director Beverly Strohmeyer, a former director of our local arts council, received them.

On Tuesday I spoke with Strohmeyer over the phone, and she told me MAC will schedule a meeting in Cape Girardeau after all, due to the outcry over Southeast Missouri's exclusion from the listening tour. A few hours later, local arts council director Delilah Tayloe notified me a meeting has been scheduled for April 27 at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri.

This situation can be seen a few different ways. Some might say this incident illustrates a government agency pandering to the demands of an outspoken few. Some might (and some definitely will) say that government has no business messing around in the arts, anyway. Yet another way to look at the situation is this: an example of positive action by people who actually care about something bringing about results. In this case it's people caring about the arts.

We do live in a democracy, as this incident illustrates, but all too often nearly everyone (myself included) takes the rights that allow us to influence our government through voice and action for granted. Sure, I'm preaching. Sure, this is cliche. But cliches are what they are for a reason -- they often hold a ring of truth.

Even more perspective on these events are provided by understanding why Cape Girardeau wasn't included on the original list. The meetings this month are follow-ups to meetings the MAC hosted last year in cities across the state to take public input so the council could form its strategic plan. Cape Girardeau's meeting last year was first canceled due to snow, and when the meeting was held on a different date, no one showed.

I'm not here to cast judgment, but I can't say the cancellation of the initial meeting is the reason no one showed on the second try. One thing I've noticed as a lifelong resident in Southeast Missouri is that people simply don't care to have a say in their government. I guess it's a national problem. If people did care, we may not be in the mess we're in as a country right now, but I won't elaborate on the nature of that mess. You can read between the lines.

Point is, in America we're so comfortable we forget about the fact that our government exists at our pleasure, and it will respond to us if we want it to. If not, we will be ignored, as Cape Girardeau almost was with the MAC. Time and again I've heard local people in the arts community complain about how neglected Southeast Missouri's arts climate is. But who can complain when we don't air our grievances (or our praise) when given the opportunity?

Answer: no one.

So please, show up to this meeting, if you care at all about the arts. The MAC representatives are traveling a long way to be there, and if you don't show, we'll just look stupid. Or maybe local people really don't care to have a voice? We'll see April 27.

Matt Sanders is the Arts & Leisure editor for the Southeast Missourian and the editor of OFF Magazine.