is government funding of the arts necessary?

Some people believe that government funding of the arts is necessary to ensure that the arts can flourish and be available to all people. Others believe that government funding of the arts threatens the integrity of the arts.

Arts has been playing an important role from a personal to a societal level across the human history. The governments are funding arts associations or individual artists, and I think it is an effective approach to keep arts thrive. Some argue that even though the intension is good, it might alter the integrity of the arts, but I would say these people are slightly pessimistic about the strength of the arts industry.

First of all, it is hard to define what is the integrity of the arts. If integrity is defined as the free will of an artist to do what s/he pursues then this integrity has been violated for centuries. The artists have been funded in different forms by a variety of authorities since civilisation, such as the emperor and the Pope, and these arts have been used as propagandas to demonstrate the power and authority of their funders. For example, Leonardo Da Vinci was funded by Pope Alexander VI to create maps and city plans which later on became masterpieces. Although artists have been sponsored for a long time, they are still creative and talented enough to find ways to express their emotions and values. For instance, Mozart has persuaded the king in Vienna to accept the proposal of The Marriage of Figaro.

It would be difficult for artists to make a living if the government funding did not exist. The support from the artist's followers is sometimes limited, and it might be burdensome for one to remain creative when having to sort out where to eat and stay for the next day. The government funding instead can provide artists with a reasonably comfortable working environment. Mozart died from tiredness and hunger at a young age because he could not find any sponsors later in his life. It is hard to imagine how many more masterpieces that he would compose if the government funding existed at that time.

There are plenty of people who are interested in arts but do not have the money to afford it. The government funding can eliminate these hurdles in several approaches. For instance, some galleries and museums in the U.K. are funded by the government so they have free admission so that people can appreciate and learn arts as long as they have time and interest. People who are busy or not particularly interested in arts can also get the chance to come across some posters of gallery exhibitions when they commute, i.e. on the road, in the tube station.

To conclude, the government should financially support the arts industry and do not have to be afraid of violating the integrity of the arts. This funding is essential to prevent the Mozart Tragedy from happening, and it could also facilitate the arts to be prevalent so that the whole society could benefit from it.

What do you think?

#arts #socialissue #myviewpoint