Mark Dayton

MARK DAYTON INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT:

1. Minnesota’s nearly 1600 non-profit arts organizations provide access to the arts and support quality of life in every corner of the state. While providing over 22,000 jobs, arts organizations served nearly 4.5 million people in 2004. How do you and your family participate in the arts?

Well, my family’s been involved in the arts all my life. I’m very proud of my father who was trustee emeritus at the MIA, and my son, Eric, is also a trustee there, and I was on the board of the Walker, back when the Picasso exhibition came to Minnesota, which I deserve no credit for. But I said it was like going to the Super Bowl, in your rookie year, to have that come then. So I’m very proud of the members of my family who have been in the leadership of so many parts of the arts in Minnesota.

Do you paint or draw or sing?

I almost failed 4th grade art because I couldn’t make a soap boat.  I finally hacked one out in the basement of my parents’ home out of Ivory soap and I’m allergic to Ivory soap to this day. I don’t have artistic talent myself, except I do collect art in a very minor way.  Mostly Minnesota artists. My favorite pieces I got at a fundraiser for human rights years ago. It’s a Warhol print, called The Mask. It’s fabulous, mask, it had serpents coming out of the side, it’s purple, which is my favorite color.  That’s my one prized art piece.

2. What’s on your iPod?

I have an iPod, I have 302 songs. Very eclectic, everything from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Pachabel Canon and the Hallelujah chorus.

3. What work have you done to support the arts as an elected official in the past?

Well, I started in Governor Perpich’s office back in 1977, 1978, and was responsible for the funding for the State Board of the Arts. I really didn’t deserve the credit, which goes to Sandra Hale, who was the Chair of the State Arts Board and she really educated Governor Perpich about the importance of the arts and the statewide impact that arts has on the quality of community life and people’s lives all over Minnesota and really became a great supporter in the first term and even more so in the second term for expanding the funding for the State Board of the Arts, as well as the regional commissions, and really, you know, used his populist political instincts to encourage the development of the Regional Arts Commissions and the reach of the arts to every community in Minnesota.

As a United States Senator, I strongly supported the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. I opposed the attempts of the right wing idealogues to put inappropriate restrictions on that funding, and limit artistic expression. Most of it comes down to funding and, of course, I give great credit to the arts community in Minnesota for helping to pass the Legacy Amendment. That was crucial and as governor, would want to expand the scope of funding, and state funding so we can continue to make arts available for every child in Minnesota, and every adult in Minnesota.

4. What will your legacy be in the arts from your term as Governor?

There’s a saying that we build upon the shoulders of those who preceded us, and those who have preceded the next Governor have made a phenomenal contribution to our state by passing the Legacy Amendment and ensuring that that funding, would be additional funding for the arts throughout the state. I’d like to build on that, I’d especially like to be encouraging the opportunities for artistic involvement for every child and every youth and every adult in Minnesota. Arts education and community arts programs and projects that involve people and give people exposure to the arts all of their forms is really crucial.

5. The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, passed by 56% of the voters in November 2008, created the new Arts and Culture Fund. The constitutional amendment stated that these funds “may be spent only for arts, arts education, and arts access and to preserve Minnesota’s history and cultural heritage.” It also states that “The dedicated money under this section must supplement traditional sources of funding for these purposes and may not be used as a substitute.”  MCA led the arts community campaign to pass the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment so that all Minnesotans would get access to the arts via the grants and services of the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Council system, which ensures that people in all 87 counties get access to the arts.

Question: Will you support at least 50% of the Arts and Culture Fund being dedicated to the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Council system, to ensure that all Minnesotans have access to the arts, regardless of their geographic location, through grants that reach all 87 Minnesota counties?

Yes I do.  This was a constitutional amendment passed by the people of Minnesota. The people of Minnesota voted to raise their own sales tax in order to support these programs and with all due respect to the legislature, this is not the legislature’s money, this is the people’s money. I believe that that dedicated funding should be there. The State Arts Board as well as the Regional Arts Councils are crucial to assuring that the money does go all over the state. That’s the infrastructure that has been established to assure that arts reach every community in Minnesota, it’s done a remarkable job over the last few decades. It should be supported and continued and frankly, the legislature should keep its hands off of the people’s money.

6. Nonprofit, taxexempt organizations provide social services, health services, education and arts to the public.  Under Minnesota law, nonprofit organizations have been free from paying sales or property taxes because their services benefit the public.

Question:  Do you agree or disagree that nonprofit organizations should continue to be free  from paying taxes?

I agree. They are charitable. Just as the contributions by individuals or organizations should be deductable for tax purposes, we want to encourage charitable giving, we want to encourage the non-profit sector and that’s a very appropriate way to do so.

7. Research shows that students with high levels of arts participation outperform other students on virtually every measure from standardized tests to community participation, and that learning through the arts has a significant effect on learning in other areas, particularly in the early years. The arts are required both by No Child Left Behind and also by Minnesota’s student academic standards, but our schools are not required to report how they are meeting those standards.

Question: Would you support policies to increase accountability for school standards in the arts?

Well, I want to support the funding that will allow schools to offer arts and expand their arts offerings. Yes, there should be accountability, but it’s really unfair to cut back funding as Minnesota has by $1300 per pupil in real, after inflation dollars, over the last 8 years. That’s caused drastic cutbacks in so many key areas including the arts.  So yes, I want accountability, but accountability starts at the top with the governor and the legislature and providing the funds, which is why I’ve said I will increase state funding for public K-12 education every year I’m governor, no excuses, no exceptions because I want the arts to be available in every school beginning in preschools and kindergarten all the way through higher education and we need to put our money where we say our values and our principles are.

8. We welcome any additional comments you would like to make with regards to the arts in Minnesota.

Well the arts are just crucial in all of our lives, and you know I don’t have artistic talent I’m a great apprecieator of the arts, and music and color,  and you know I think it adds so much, so I think as governor, I’d want to encourage the outreach of arts to every community in Minnesota and to every person in Minnesota so that their lives can be enriched by exposure to artistic creation, and support those artists in Minnesota and their own creations and let’s make Minnesota the arts capital of the country and the world.