Public Perception of Art

I received an email about the current stimulus package proposal and reactions to “the House bill [which would] include a $50 million provision for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).  As the legislation states, the NEA ‘is positioned to use existing mechanisms to allocate lifeline funding quickly to these nonprofit organizations to retain jobs’ and there is solid research to demonstrate the stimulus gains that can be provided by this funding.”  What struck me about the email is not so much anything about the proposed bill itself but rather the responses to the bill from both congresspeople and citizens that reflects a larger cultural perspective on the value of art in America.  From the email:

 

Here are some examples of the negative press received from publications across the country:

    * “True to form, Congress has loaded the [bill] with hundreds of billions in wasteful spending. The bill includes $650 million for digital TV coupons, $140 million to study the atmosphere and $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts. None of these proposals would create jobs or boost our economy. They’re just old-fashioned waste” – Op-ed in the Indianapolis Star

    * “The National Endowment for the Arts would get $50 million for new exhibits to deem America racist and sexist.” – Op-ed in the Norwich Bulletin

    * “The National Endowment for the Arts, for example, is in line for $50 million, increasing its total budget by a third. The unemployed can fill their days attending abstract-film festivals and sitar concerts.” – National Review Editorial

    * “I just think putting people to work is more important than putting more art on the wall of some New York City gallery frequented by the elite art community.” [U.S. Rep Jack] Kingston said. “Call me a sucker for the working man.” – Congressional Quarterly report

None of this is news to me, but spending time thinking about how many Americans view art, and therefore view me as a maker of art, is definitely depressing.  It’s frustrating that art is considered excessive, extravagant, and wasteful and is first to be cut when times get tough— the Boston Public School system is undergoing a budget cut and arts education is most at risk for elimination.   It’s frustrating that art’s ability to facilitate social critique and generate meaningful discussion about important national issues is not acknowledged or valued.  It’s frustrating that art is seen as separate from and not relevant to everyday life.  And it’s frustrating that art is relegated to being something by and for the elite, not something relevant to or made by the “working man.”  These are clearly not all the negative perceptions of art/artists, but a few reflected in the responses to the stimulus proposal.

 

So here’s what I propose (if this doesn’t exist already, though if it does, it needs some help)— that a non-profit nation-wide PR firm for the Arts be created, an organization that does nothing but tirelessly advocate to change the public perception of the arts.  Let’s use our art and ingenuity to change the situation.  I know there are artists out there making work that relates to this and small organizations doing their part, too, but doesn’t Art’s public image need a major overhaul?  Isn’t there something that can be done to re-establish the idea of art as an essential component of flourishing cultures rather than the symptom of self-indulgence and ridiculous excess?  Maybe I need to get started doing my part in all of this.

 

For starters, send a letter to your senators about the stimulus package and find out more information here:

http://www.capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=12427561&type=ME