text: Eugene is just too small in population and too removed from major cities to support a large art community.   The market is simply too small.  Plus, we really don't have any nationally, much less internationally, renown artists.  We don't have anything remotely matching the excellence of the Ashland Shakespeare Festival.  Our local art scene is mediocre at best.
  
  The city has already done more than its fair share of supporting the arts with the Hult Center and the Cuthbert.  While I support the Hult and Cuthbert, investing further tax dollars into the Arts would be a bad choice, and yield very little benefit.
  
  What the city badly needs is economic development.   And the Arts are not going to give you that.