Arts Groups Lose Out in Fight for Funds

The Minnesota Museum of American Art in St. Paul closed indefinitely in January. The museum had existed in various forms since 1927.

One reason for the struggles: Some people "think of arts as an unnecessary frill," and discount arts groups' economic and educational contributions to society, says Lester Salamon, director of the Center for Civil Society Studies at Johns Hopkins University. That sentiment was front and center during recent debate over the giant federal economic-stimulus package, when arts funding met opposition.