What The Arts Can Hope To See From A Biden Administration

by
LinkedInCopyPrint

Now that it’s official and a Biden administration takes the reins in January, we can expect to see rapid movement on numerous issues important to the country as a whole.

But what about the arts and culture sector? In addition to improved arts funding, there are plenty of issues a Biden administration can impact. Here are few I hope to see movement on within the first year:

  1. Don’t just restore net neutrality, push for reclassifying broadband internet as a Title II public utility.
  2. Rolling back charitable deduction limits implemented by the 2017 GOP tax bill. Alternatively, moving toward a new, broader set of charitable giving tax credits would be a welcome change.
  3. Rolling back limitations in the 2017 GOP tax bill that restrict artists’ ability to deduct reasonable work related expenses.
  4. Continue to advocate for increasingly strict improvements to the BOTS Act while simultaneously seeking maximum penalties when prosecuting violations.

I’m sure there are important items I’m overlooking so what else would you add to the list?

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

View all posts by Drew McManus | Website

LinkedInCopyPrint

Related Posts