Public Says Art Is Important - But Is Unwilling To Support It

I admit up front that I have no artistic ability at all. Hell, I have trouble drawing stick figures! But I love art, and I consider it to be extremely important. And I believe a society without art, or one in which art is censored, is a failed society -- and cannot last. Art gives us beauty, it exposes truths, and it allows us to view the world in a different way.

So I was initially happy when I saw this new YouGov Poll (done on May 14th and 15th of a random national sample of 1,000 adults, with a 3.9 point margin of error). The survey showed that 51% of Americans think art is necessary to live a well-rounded life (which is something we all should be trying to do).

But then I read some of the other survey results, and I was very disappointed. Even though they say art is important, a majority are unwilling to pay to make that art more accessible to everyone. Half of the population said they would be unwilling to pay an extra $5 a year in taxes to make art more accessible to everyone (while only 34% said they would). That's terrible! I don't know if it reflects an incredible ignorance or selfishness -- but it certainly doesn't reflect well on our country. If art is truly important (and I believe it is), then we should be willing to pay a few dollars to make it accessible to everyone.

And then we have the results of another of the survey questions -- which words would you use to describe the world of art today? The most common answer was expensive (given by 47% of the respondents). Only 9% said art was affordable.

Now I will admit that the art of past masters (like Van Gogh, Picasso, and others) can be very expensive -- but that is a very tiny percentage of all the incredible art that is out there for us to enjoy (and much of it can be viewed inexpensively in art museums). There is a whole world of art that is available for a very reasonable price. Just visit your local galleries, or college student art shows, or find current artists on the internet. They are making some incredible art that will simply blow you away -- and it is affordable. But if even that is beyond your budget, there are prints and reproductions that can be had for only a few dollars.

Art is important, and we should all include it in our lives. Make time to go to art museums, and buy what you can afford for yourself. It will make you a better and more well-rounded person -- and if enough of us do that, it will make us a better society.