State arts advocates ask for more support from legislators on Arts Day

North Carolina actor and playwright Mike Wiley was headed for destruction before he found his love of the arts.

He said he discovered theater before becoming tempted by gang activity and spiraling toward a violent future.

“That was different for a kid who grew up below the poverty line,” Wiley said. “Early on, I had some individuals in my life who said ‘You can do this, too, and you don’t have to be held back because your mom works the night shift, and your dad isn’t around.’”

Wiley is using his voice to speak up about the importance of public arts at Arts Day, a two-day event in Raleigh where advocates from North Carolina will meet to network and discuss support of the arts with state legislators.

Arts Day is a product of ARTS North Carolina, an advocacy nonprofit organization comprised of N.C. residents involved in public arts.

Margaret DeMott serves as a board member of ARTS as well as the director of artistic services at the Durham Arts Council.

“Our job as representatives of the arts — and as people who are championing them — is to keep that communication vibrant and fresh and new,” DeMott said. “Arts advocacy, in this context, (means) we’re talking to our legislators.”

Devra Thomas, the board chairwoman of the Orange County Arts Commission and Orange County leader for Arts Day, said the goal of the county’s presence is to maintain support for the arts.

“We are very blessed to have elected representatives who, for years and years, have been supportive of the arts,” Thomas said.

DeMott said the effects of Arts Day are a long-term building process.

“We go with the belief that we are going to impact decisions that are made this year, and I think every year we have impacted decisions, but it’s not just about the immediate,” she said.

Musician, author, community activist and Arts Day speaker Si Kahn agreed there is a need for state support.

“It would hardly be an understatement to say that the working conditions for artists in North Carolina — and, for that matter, in the United States — are hardly ideal,” he said. “While we welcome public and private support for the arts, it’s far less than it could or should be.”

Clyde Edgerton, president of the Arts Council of Wilmington and New Hanover County, will be the featured speaker on Arts Day’s legislative day, riling up the troops before sending them off to meet the legislators.

“The public schools is where we can show that the imagination is important, and that art is important, because it helps us become more human — embraces uncertainty,” Edgerton said.

“There’s a wisdom in uncertainty, and there’s a wisdom in art, and I think if we encourage that in school — courage in ourselves — then we’ll have a brighter and a happier world.”

Contact the desk editor at  arts@dailytarheel.com