Appreciation of the Arts

The left is obsessed with money.

If public art spending is not increasing at a faster rate than the economy, then the greedy politicos at groups like the Utah Film Society launch forth with a piercing whine about how Art is in a Recession.

I look around and see more people actively engaged in creating artistic expression than at any time in history.

I am left wondering. Is the artistic sense of a society judged by the amount of taxpayer dollars spent on art or is artistic sense a matter of individual appreciation of art?

Leftists claim we are in an art recession because there has been a dip in state spending on art.

But is art really just about money as the Utah Film Society claims?

I am inclined to say that art is about the extent to which individuals appreciate and are engaged in the artistic process. Quite frankly, furniture makers, home designers and even business owners who see their business as art often have a bigger impact on society that a person who receives an art grant from the state.

I believe that a society with millions of people actively engaged in artistic endeavors or as patrons is more artistic than one with a few individuals exalted with grand titles from the states and pockets lined with taxpayer dollars.

I believe that the best way to improve arts is to create markets for art and channels for artistic expression.

I further claim that, when the state takes money from the masses to give grants to a select few, the state impoverishes the artistic sense of the people at large.

If we wish to promote art, I wish people would change the conversation from one about how we can get more state money into the hands of a small ruling elite to one about how can we elevate art appreciation in society as a whole.