The Arts

Many people view art as a luxury, a cost that’s easy to cut from personal expenses when times are tough, as they are likely to be for us as Americans in days to come. While each of us must make our own decisions regarding our personal expenditures, we need to be much more thoughtful regarding our public resources and how they are spent. The Arts have a place in our division of even limited economic resources.

It’s often said, and generally accepted, that the arts enrich the lives of people in their communities by creating a sense of community cohesion, enhancing our understanding of one another in the world, and reminding us that there is more to life, and more to a balanced life, than merely productivity. These benefits all warrant public support, but can seem quite vague when one compares the costs of supporting the arts to other important, and perhaps more immediately visible, needs. But the arts must be supported, not only for the contribution that they make to the human spirit, but also for the economic benefits that cultural and artistic endeavors have for the general public.

In fact, some studies show that the arts add significantly to economic prosperity. For example, non-profit arts and cultural organizations generate over $160 billion in economic activity every year, and also provide America with 5.7 million full time equivalent jobs, as well as billions in local, state and federal tax revenues.

Studies show that when people are informed about the role of such institutions as the National Endowment for the Arts they see its value and strongly agree that public money should be used to support it. When presented with the data regarding art and music education programs in schools, and the benefit that these have upon other areas of academic learning and later adult achievement, people also strongly support these programs. When people are shown the benefits to other countries which do more to help in the development of individual artists, they understand better the benefits of such support in America.

America lags behind most other comparable nations in support of the arts. One study shows that the United States spends only one-quarter of that spent in Great Britain, and as little as one-tenth of that spent by other industrialized countries. In fact, the U.S. has the lowest per person percentage of both public spending and the lowest percentage of gross domestic product money spent on the arts of virtually all of the countries of the industrialized world.

As times become difficult, we need to be protective of those things that may appear to be luxuries, but are part of the essential cultural “vitamins and minerals” that are necessary for our country to flourish. The arts are essential to our having a vibrant and energetic future, and we need to both acknowledge the importance of the arts and support them.