Butt-Ugly Booklet
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But what exactly is being promoted? The campaign’s centerpiece is a 24-page booklet that provides a slight overview of what Chicago offers in the way of theater, dance, music, mu-seums, art, shopping, and restaurants. Beginning next month the booklet will be inserted into the New York Times Magazine, Food & Wine, and Travel & Leisure; it will also be mailed to thousands of would-be visitors who have requested information about the city’s cultural attractions. Judging from the cover of the bro-chure, the forces behind Cultural Chicago don’t trust the art to sell itself. A large color photo of Georges Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte graces the cover, but large portions of the painting are blocked by the backsides of two baseball players–Frank Thomas of the White Sox and Sammy Sosa of the Cubs. Though the pair are supposedly studying the pointillist painting, their images are obviously superimposed on the photo.
Even if the booklet attracts a few more free-spending visitors, the initiative raises the vexing question of why the city and state are willing to spend big bucks to market Chicago culture when they can’t seem to find more money to assist its many cash-starved arts groups. Weisberg says the city gives out about $1.3 million annually in arts grants, and that figure has remained unchanged since 1993. “We’re trying to find ways to creatively increase the amount we have to give,” explains Weisberg, who says she’s looking at innovative funding methods in other cities and states. Missouri, for example, supports the arts through an entertainment tax, and Los Angeles does it through a tax on private construction. Recently a bill was introduced in Illinois to funnel gambling taxes into arts funding, but its chances for passage are slim.
Ben Pao has also dropped its tea bar (“something Chicagoans didn’t cotton to,” according to Culleeney) in favor of a satay bar. The menu has been revised as well. Some of the exotic items have been replaced with more traditional Chinese fare, blander preparations have given way to familiar spices, and obscure dishes are now explained on the menu. Culleeney says complaints about the food have lessened considerably in recent months.
