until further notice

Inter-Municipal Order, Ad. 18, Ria. 04, No. 76

To all it will ever concern:

After serious deliberation, I, the Mayor of Everywhere, declare the practice of being remunerated for one’s artistic gift or merit unsustainable until further notice. The mayor’s office has for a very long time had under its employ an infinite number of proofreaders, editors, talent scouts, sorcerers and psychoanalysts engaged in a continuing effort to find, nurture and glorify talent. Under the pressure of the current financial crisis the mayor’s office has been forced to cut all such services and the respective positions from its current budget.

The business of government is built in accordance with societal demands and norms. The mayor’s office recognizes its legacy of supporting artistic endeavor as integral to the democratic process. However, any such support on the government’s part is to be leveraged against other, often more pivotal, factors of necessity. The mayor’s office is committed to reinstating the practice of rewarding artistic talent and merit as soon as the overall economic situation permits. Until then, artists are advised to do the following:
1. Pursue honest manners of employment outside the art world.
2. Nurture their talents in private without succumbing to reactionary notions.
3. Sustain a healthy awareness of their duties as law-abiding citizens.
4. Maintain cleanliness and productivity despite any contrary inclinations.
5. Seek ways of bettering humanity that do not give prevalence to one’s emotional or aesthetic core.
6. Refrain from committing suicide be it for personal or artistic purposes.

Firmly,

The Honorable Augustus Lux, Mayor of Everywhere