It was almost 200 years ago, after a day and night of relentless attack by the British in Baltimore, that the flag of the United States of America stood against the morning sky and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words to the "The Star-Spangled Banner." I recently saw two widely varied interpretations of our national anthem. One was a beautifully arranged choral production by The Baltimore Choral Arts Chamber Chorus which included the not-often heard second stanza. The second was a uniquely choreographed dance production by Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble that -- through the dance steps of Americans from many ethnic backgrounds and many time periods -- illustrated the origins and history of our nation. I viewed all of this while having the privilege of gathering with 1,000 arts leaders from across the United States at the Americans for the Arts 50th Anniversary Half-Century Summit held in Baltimore.

We heard stories of spectacular public art projects in San Jose, CA; successful business and arts collaborations in Philadelphia; key arts efforts in the struggle for greener communities in places like Seattle; and ideas for how the arts have helped inform and inspire our military leaders ever since that night in 1814 when a poem, a song, and a piece of visual art -- a flag -- melded into one statement as our national anthem.

I was struck by the resilience and dedication and survival skills exhibited again and again by the arts community in our country. It was a good first-hand reminder of what I testified to last year to the United States House of Representatives Committee that oversees federal arts funding and earlier to the House Committee on Education and Labor. I had both great news and tougher news to share about the arts in our country.

The great news is that for the last 50 years, the arts have been an astounding growth industry in the United States. Some 7,000 not-for-profit arts organizations in the mid-60s have now multiplied to 100,000 dance, theater, music, visual arts, media, and other arts organizations like The Baltimore Choral Arts Chamber Chorus and Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, serving every town of every size in our nation. Add to that another 586,000 for profit arts businesses like the local music store or dance school along with Broadway and Hollywood and you have an industry that makes up 4.2 percent of all American businesses. And the good news continues in that the 100,000 not-for-profit arts organizations alone bring the gift of the arts -- the new ideas and joy and pain that experiencing a painting or a play can convey to child or a town -- to well over half of the American public each year.

But I had to testify about the tough news, too. Where do groups like the Chorus and Dance Ensemble get the funds to exist, to experiment, and to survive? In this current economic climate virtually every arts organization in America faces some kind of financial setback. The not-for-profit arts get their financial support from three main categories: 50% from earned revenue, like ticket sales; 40% from private donations mostly from individuals, plus some foundations and corporations; and then 10% from government -- mostly local government, then state, and finally a tiny but important contribution from the federal government.

In a fragile ecosystem of support, each of these sources is important. In a bad economy each of these critical sources is challenged. Consumers have less money in their pockets to spend. Private donors are a bit more cautious as their investment portfolios are diminished, and the government gets more cautious as tax revenues decline. This tough news meant devastation and closing down for many business sectors, but the arts are mission-driven, not bottom line-driven.

There have been casualties throughout the landscape of arts organizations, but not as many as I thought there would be a year ago. There have indeed been enormous sacrifices, more than would have been necessary if the private and public funding sectors were investing more in the arts. The American public through its own purchases continues to demand dance, and theater, and poetry, and music, and visual art experiences. The 50% earned-income part of the funding equation remains strong. But the traditional 40% from the private sector has been slipping for a decade and continues to slip. And government dollars, which have never been close to adequate, continue to dwindle as tax bases erode.

Yet what I saw and heard in Baltimore this past June was the sound and look of creativity, innovation, and hope in America. It was our story -- past, present, and future -- through the arts. The lack of support for the arts can and must be fixed. It takes just a few more private and public sector leaders with vision to understand what Francis Scott Key understood in the mist on that morning with a poem, and a song, and a flag, and the future in his sight.

Robert L. Lynch, Huffington Post