In Defense of the Arts

In 2017, Republican lawmakers instituted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which is expected to cut into Harvard’s endowment by over $40 million. Last week, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith expressed concerns with regard to the tax bill’s impact upon the FAS, which receives nearly half of its income through the endowment.

In this time of fiscal uncertainty, Harvard should ensure that its fine arts programs do not get left behind. President Donald Trump has repeatedly demonstrated a desire to undermine federal arts funding by eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts. Now more than ever, it is necessary for Harvard to prioritize funding for the arts.

All fine arts-related departments fall under the FAS and are therefore at risk of financial strain due to the Republican tax bill. In the past, Harvard’s commitment to artistic programs has come under scrutiny. As Harvard begins its expansion into Allston and continues to devote considerable funding and energy to its STEM programs, administrators must maintain a commitment to the preservation of the arts on campus through both academic and extracurricular programming.

Until the development of the Department of Theater, Dance, and Media in 2015, Harvard lacked any formal theater department. Instead, theater classes were simply incorporated into the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies. TDM offers students the opportunity to participate in professionally directed and designed productions each semester, and it marks a welcome addition to Harvard’s support for the arts.

Still, the TDM department does not necessarily serve all students involved with the performing arts on campus, nor could it. The same might be said of the VES Department, which can only do so much to support the visual arts beyond the scope of its programming. In order to preserve and promote artistic engagement on campus, the University must reach beyond the scope of its own concentrations and devote more resources directly to the performing and visual arts.

Concentrations in the fine arts have never been particularly popular at Harvard. In 2015, only 16 students graduated with degrees in VES. The Music Department also remains small, with only six concentrators graduating in the Class of 2015.

However, these low numbers do not reflect the vast number of students who engage with the fine arts on campus. Hundreds of people participate in theatrical productions each semester as actors, directors, designers, or technicians, most of whom do not concentrate in TDM. Still more participate in film, visual arts, choirs, orchestras, and a capella groups, with concentrations ranging from Comparative Literature to Chemistry.

Most of the funding for extracurricular theatre comes from grants from the Undergraduate Council rather than directly from the University itself. That is, while Harvard’s student body is determined to support theater, much of the University administration seems to lack a similar outlook. Many House theater spaces on campus could use renovations, and performing arts on campus could vastly benefit from additional support and subsidies.

Athletics, by comparison, do not face this problem. In the 2009-2010 school year, the Department of Athletics spent nearly $18 million on its teams. This contrasts sharply with the limited amount that the Office of Fine Arts grants students each semester for their various projects.

2018 is a terrifying time to be an artist in this country. From public schools to national museums, federal priorities are shifting against the arts. Harvard’s priorities must shift as well. As the Republican tax bill puts Harvard’s endowment at risk, the University must remember not to neglect the arts.

Abigail G. Sage ’21, a Crimson editorial editor, lives in Hollis Hall.