Letter: 'The Great Tuesday Night Culture Massacre' of Pequot Library

Over two days of July 13-14 in 1637, the last engagement of the Pequot Indian wars was a bloody struggle between English settlers and native Americans. Along the banks of the Mill River English muskets silenced stone-age arrowheads bringing the “Great Swamp Massacre” to its violent conclusion.

Taking the long view of events, the tides of time teach us that “those who do not heed the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them.” And that cyclical nature of history was demonstrated last week when Fairfield’s Board of Finance (BOF) acted with wanton thoughtlessness and an ill-advised recklessness.

In the BOF’s action’s, they actually damaged our town’s financial status as a consequence in their own raid: “The Great Tuesday Night Culture Massacre.” By cutting the library’s budget, they essentially erased the significant economic benefits of having such a respected cultural landmark in our midst. One step forward -- three steps backwards!

In one swoop of their budget axe, the board members voted 5-4 to zero out the town’s commitment to the Pequot Library. Without prior notice or of a reasonable compromise for a pro rata reduction, a cultural institution with a distinguished 125 years of service to the community found its very survival at risk.

Even more alarming, reflecting an out-of-touch awareness of the value of arts and cultural institutions within strong and vibrant towns, the BOF’s action actually damaged our local economy with its false hopes of "cost containment." Surely, for every child who won’t attend a storytime session, or adult library user who will be denied access to an extraordinary lending collection or access to its historic archives, there is a downside. But the Pequot Library’s greatest asset is its prominence as a nationally recognized cultural landmark offering an endless cycle of concerts, readings, and art exhibits bringing honor and distinction.

In the BOF’s myopic view, the town’s subsidy of $350K to the Pequot Library’s budget was a drag on town tax revenues. Their ignorance of the dramatic impact of how arts dollars are a dynamic ripple into the community. 

In a nationally sponsored report focusing on our arts economy, "Arts & Economic Prosperity in the State of Connecticut" [http://www.cultureandtourism/cct/lib/cct/CT_AEP4_Impact_Final_Report.pdf], we see convincing evidence that for every visitor to Fairfield coming to a booksale, concert, art exhibit, or literary program at the Pequot Library, each non-resident spent over $35.39 at our local restaurants, stores, hotels, and commercial businesses. Just imagine the tens of thousands of visitors who attend the Pequot Library’s nationally respected book sale -- and then consider wiping away the dollars they spend a local establishments. First Selectman Mike Tetreau is prominently quoted in this report: “Fairfield has become a destination community, our merchants and restaurants have this appreciation of the benefits of Arts to our future growth.” 

Now we are hoping that the RTM will see the wisdom of supporting the Pequot Library by over-turning the BOF’s gross foolishness thereby restoring the Pequot Library’s ability to continue its valuable services.

Philip Eliasoph, PhD

Professor of Art History

Fairfield University

&

Commissioner, Office of the Arts

Commission for Culture & Tourism

Department of Economic & Cultural Development

State of Connecticut