In a comment I made on one of Jimmy’s recent posts I made reference to the phenomenon of government funded artwork. This comes about when artists who can’t find support for their work go to the National Endowment for the Arts (or some similar body) and request funding. Oddly enough, though, even the government doesn’t want this art most of the time. The governemnt likes to spend money on socially relevant art, which has helped to give rise to the phenomenon I call "Art and…". You know…
Art and the Inner City
Art and Women’s Issues
Art and The Environment
Art and Bloody American Imperialism
… stuff like that. But here is the really interesting part; Normally the government still doesn’t want this art, they just want to write a check. They will pay the artists to produce it, but good grief, they don’t want to keep the stuff!
I don’t want to issue a blanket condemnation of all government funded art. There is probably some that does not cause optic nerve damage. My point is that the goverment funding of art, as it now works, only reinforces the notion that art has no intrinsic value, that to be important it must be political (liberal). This type of indirect funding has also led to the misconception that if you want to support the arts, you should donate to some kind of "arts organization". That’s fine, but if you really want to support the arts, just buy art!
This direct approach means that: A) you will be supporting art that you actually like, B) you get to keep the art instead of just view it for a bit, and C) your children will get to keep it when you die!
The goverment should stay out of the art business unless they want a portrait of some politician or a sculpture for the courthouse steps. It just makes good economic sense.
Have you thought about the association between beauty and propaganda that seems prominent in some circles? Nobody sings political songs anymore, perhaps because they recall the commies or the nazis. Mass rallies with pomp and circumstance only show up when graduation or convention time rolls around, spectator sports excepted. Incredibly talented rhetoricians are called “the Republican Mussolini” or some such thing. Just wanted to put that idea out there.
Tim, I have the exact same thoughts about sports fanchises that get millions of dollars from the government but the does not send the government any tickets to the games. This is especially annoying in the NFL where there is a local blackout rule when all the tickets aren’t sold.