Street performer arrived in downtown Shreveport this week. Glad to see it happen. I know lots of folks worked to make this happen and I appreciate their hard work.
But I really hate that the performers are not allowed to ask for tips. For Goddess sake they can't even put a sign up that says TIPS APPRECIATED. No one expects the downtown hot dog vendor to give away his work, why is it expected that street performers should give away their work?
Mayor Cedric Glover* has a plan to grow Shreveport's economy by tapping into the creative economy. That plan only works when artisans get paid. I don't think the idea all along was "Hey, let's get those wacky artists to do shit for free. They'll do anything for free as long as they get exposure."
The street performers work to entertain us. They should be able to ask for compensation. Having an open case or box so folks might just take the hint is not enough. No more "let's play art." This is real. Art is a real business. The creative economy is a real economy where money is exchanged for goods. Don't stop the money from flowing to the artisans especially when you are depending on them to grow the economy of a whole geographical area of your city.
*You know I love that guy. I sat through the longest Shreveport City Council meeting to give him a piece of art. It was about his underwear. You can read about the great Mayor Cedric Glover's underwear adventure here.
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