A few weeks ago, I was talking with my daughter about her Drama assignment. She was to write a short paper on: “What is the purpose of The Arts? Are they important?” We talked about it for some time, and I thought her finished paper was quite good.
Then, last week, our Prime Minister made an incredibly stupid statement… not an unusual event for him. He said that “normal” people do not care about, or support, the Arts. He went on to say that the Arts are about rich artists, standing around at galas, whining about their grants. This is how he justified massive cuts to the Arts in Canada.
True or not, I call this statement stupid because we are in the middle of an election campaign and in one fell swoop, he has galvanized a huge segment of the population against him. Hundreds of thousands of people work in the Arts in Canada. They are actors, writers, graphic artists, film makers, musicians, painters, craftsmen and so on. And, they are a vocal lot. He can expect the reaction of the Arts Community to be loud and heated. In fact it already has been. Yesterday, I read a terrific article by Margaret Atwood…. Do non-Canadians know who Margaret Atwood is? If not, they should!…. in The Globe and Mail. Check it out here if you’re interested.
I believe we are all born with a love of art. I don’t think I’ve ever met a little kid who didn’t love to draw pictures, or play an instrument, or sing a song, or perform little skits for company. If this love is nurtured and encouraged, it grows and blossoms. If not, it withers and dies. I believe that a country without Art is a country without beauty. It is a dismal place indeed. If you’ve never been to a play, or an art gallery, or a concert hall then you are missing something…. Something important.
So what do you think? Are the Arts important? Should government support the Arts? Either individual artists or institutions like theatres and galleries. Keep in mind that, without government funding, most theatres and art galleries and concert halls could not survive.
