The Value of Art in a Struggling Economy
Friday, June 26th, 2009 by Lucinda M. Dugger
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The Scottish government recognizes the value that art has for society, especially during times of economic downturn. It has just announced details of a 5 million pound package that is aimed at helping the creative community while the economy is still rough.
These funds stem from a larger vision of developing Creative Scotland by 2010. This new organization will have the goal of focusing on Scotland’s creative talent by “identifying, developing, nurturing, supporting and funding talented groups and individuals so they can maximise their artistic potential.”
The funds seek to not only support artists and cultural institutions during the recession, but also provide opportunity for artistic innovation and progress by funding new media and cross-sector artistic collaboration.
I find this level of support for the creative community – that is struggling for financial stability like so many others right now – encouraging and insightful. The Scottish government understands that ‘art must go on’ during the recession. It realizes that when the economy gets better, quality, innovative art and culture will be in high-demand among those who have more disposable income. If that art does not exist, because it couldn’t be created during the decline, then economic stimulation as a result of the creative industries will further suffer. (The nonprofit arts sector in the US alone generates $166.2 billion in economy activity every year according to a study by Americans for the Arts).
In addition, the Scottish government’s goal of launching Creative Scotland by 2010 has not been thwarted by the economic decline. This further suggests that the government views economic recovery and stability within the arts sector as important as other sectors, such as business and industry, to create a whole society.
As part of President Roosevelt’s economic recovery plan during the Great Depression in the United States, he instituted large-scale federal relief programs to help many sectors of society. The main program that was designed to help the arts and cultural sectors was called the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and launched in 1935. It aimed to give unemployed artists work that would serve the public good and preserve their skills and self-esteem.
“Work began immediately on the WPA’s Federal Project Number One. Known as “Federal One,” the project comprised five major divisions: the Federal Art Project, the Federal Music Project, the Federal Theatre Project, the Federal Writers Project and the Historical Records Survey. Each was headed by a national director. Just one year after the five national directors first met in Washington, some 40,000 WPA artists and other cultural workers were employed in projects throughout the United States.”
The results of the WPA are far-reaching. Holger Cahill, director of the Federal Art Project, in a 1939 speech, said:
“…the Project has discovered that such a simple matter as finding employment for the artist in his [sic] hometown has been of the greatest importance. It has, for one thing, helped to stem the cultural erosion which in the past two decades has drawn most of America’s art talent to a few large cities. It has brought the artist closer to the interests of a public which needs him, and which is now learning to understand him. And it has made the artist more responsive to the inspiration of the country, and through this the artist is bringing every aspect of American life into the currency of art.”
Even today, the results are still evident around the country in murals, stamps, and other public works.
During this hard economic time, artists in the United States and around the world are struggling. Though some private-sector businesses are still giving, most artists and arts organization are seeing dramatic economic impacts on their work and organizations. The National Endowment for the Arts released staggering statistics about the current plight of artists:
• Artists are unemployed at twice the rate of professional workers.
• Unemployment rates for artists have risen more rapidly than for U.S. workers as a whole.
• Artist unemployment rates would be even higher if not for the large number of artists leaving the workforce.
• The job market for artists is unlikely to improve until long after the U.S. economy starts to recover.
I think, along with some other arts advocates, that the government shouldn’t overlook the important value that art has on society during this time. It should seek to nurture and support both artists and arts organizations in order to create a legacy for our country in the future. Perhaps, right now, we can learn from Scotland. Perhaps, right now, we can learn from our own past.
July 15th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
[...] across the country have long understood this. They have used art as a tool for revitalization and local economic development. Artists are eager to move into affordable areas that seem a little edgy. They create an [...]