Playing the Starving Artist Role to Grab Our Tax Dollars; The Real Financial Story Behind the Arts Council of Indianapolis, Inc.

On Monday, Ogden on Politics examined the financial picture of Indianapolis Downtown, Inc., a non-profit corporation which claims to promote the city in order to secure a million dollar annual subsidy from our city leaders. The examination of the IDI's 2007 tax return shows instead an organization which bestows lavish salaries on their corporate officers and workers, as well as the fact that the organization has several million dollars stashed away in investments.

Today Ogden on Politics turns to another non-profit corporation, which always has its hand out asking for the money from our city government. According to the organization's website Indyarts.org:

The Arts Council of Indianapolis, Inc. is a not-for-profit local arts agency serving central Indiana. Our mission is to advance and promote the arts through funding, advocacy, business, artistic and technical assistance, public and private support, and technology

The Arts Council also has a website for "stakeholders."

On their 2007 return, the Arts Council shows that they received a grant of $738,500 from the Capital Improvement Board and $1,450,500 from the Parks Department. Total government contributions are listed on Form 990 as $3,082.284, which appears to be about 2/3 of the organization's revenue in 2007.

Indianapolis artists might be starving but the organization's employees funded by our tax dollars to promote the arts are not. According to the 2007 return the President and the organization's top five paid employees make the following.

• President and CEO of the Arts Council, Greg Charleston pulls in over $170,000
• Janet Boston, Director of Marketing, makes over $84,000
• Mike Prusa, Artsgarden Director, earns nearly $70,000
• David Lawrence, Vice President, makes over $107,000
• Mindy Taylor-Ross makes over $86,000
• Shannon Linker, Director of Artist Services, has income totalling over $62,000

According to its website the Arts Council employs 19 individuals. The 2007 return shows the organization paying out salaries and benefits of nearly a million dollars a year.

Some of the names of the Arts Council's Board of Directors should ring a bell: Shawn Mulholland, Erik Johnson, James Birge, Bryce Bennett, Dan Appel, Dennis Bassett, Valerie Brennan, Diana M. Brenner, Greg Fehribach, Michelle Griffith, Dr. Vasiliki Keramida, Quay Kester, W. Tobin McClamroch, David Resnick Krista Skidmore, Brian Sullivan, Sylvia Trotter, Susan Williams, Greg Charleston, President.

Board of Advisors are: Vaughn Hickman, Stan Hurt, Yvonne Shaheen, Chair - Debbie Simon, and Mark Varnau

Okay, I have to ask an obvious question. Does anyone in the city look at these non-profits before handing them millions of taxpayer dollars?