The View Through My Eyes

Josh Groban: You Raise Me Up (Live)

The fine arts have always been a subject near and dear to my heart. As a child I grew up in a musical house hold, learning to play the piano at the age of five and then switching to percussion at the humble age of seven. In addition, I have been working with theatre since I was seven and have done everything from acting to designing the lighting in a wide range of productions. I was immersed in music and theatre from a very young age and I consider my involvement with the fine arts one of the most life changing factors thus far. At times in my life when all seemed bleak, the fine arts allowed me to express myself in such a way that all the negative feelings which had built up seemed to melt away. When things were in the gutter, I would play music with my friends and family or maybe work on a design for a new show I was working on. In a study done by Robert Bruley, eighteen lawyers were subjected to art within their firm for ten weeks in order to observe if art actually has any effect on our levels of stress. “According to Bruley, collective and individual results showed a marked improvement among those studied. There was a 66 percent overall improvement in stress response among the lawyers, a 9 percent increase in collected revenue for the firm, and enhanced relationships with legal staff and clients.” (Feldman) The fact of the matter is that the use of these artistic activities to relieve stress and to relax can not only be impeccably effective, but incredibly fun as well.

I feel that many of today’s youth are lost in society. They are confused and require something to structure their thoughts and emotions in a way that will allow them to take the wheel and steer their own lives properly. The fine arts are an opportunity for all of us to express ourselves and to catalyze the release of pent up emotions and stress so that we may think clearly when we our faced with a big project at work or even something as simple as a math test at school. We as a nation need to step forth and demand further government subsidization of these fine arts so that we may all have the opportunity to clear our heads and thus better our chances of success.

Feldman, Joan Hamby. "Art, stress and productivity." Law Practice Apr.-May 2009: 46. Academic OneFile. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

Groban, Josh, perf. You Raise Me Up. 2008. Youtube, 2011. Web. 27 Nov. 2011.

Closing the Divide

Royal Shakespeare Company, King Lear/The Seagull

The fine arts are a presence throughout the global community. They double as a method for deeper communication where languages would normally clash. The simple expression of an artist’s emotion into paint on a canvas is something that can be understood and felt by anyone. Whether the medium is paint or a composition of music, the fine arts can be used as a central gathering point within global societies

               Within the business realm, professionals search for ways to bring clients into a more personal business relationship. Frequently, both parties will attend restaurants and shows on Broadway as a way to relate. Using the fine arts in this sense creates concepts which can be discussed by the parties creating a bond between the two. Moving out of the business world, we can see that art is present throughout global communities. France has one of the largest art followings in the world. With such venues as the Louvre and the Opera theatre, Paris flows with artistic capabilities. One of the main reasons for the thriving arts society within the City of Light is that the government highly subsidizes the large arts organizations within. This allows for cheaper ticket pricing thus opening the doors to people of all classes and cultures. If we shift our gaze across the British channel to Britain herself, we can see yet another thriving center for the arts. With such organizations as the Royal Shakespeare Company performing beautiful works of theatre, we can see a reoccurring theme within our global community. But when we examine the arts within our homeland, we see that few have this utmost respect for the fine arts. In fact, many a time the fine arts go unappreciated for their capabilities within our culture. The ugly truth is that "At a time when creativity and communication skills are at a premium, arts should be used for their rich potential” (Riley).

               With the arts being a similarity between cultures, why are we not using it as a way to bring our very different worlds together? The answer is that there is no good explanation. If the United States government would subsidize more of the fine arts, we could help teach tolerance for other cultures in addition to pulling a country divided by cultures back together.

Marjorie Coeyman, Staff writer of The Christian,Science Monitor. (1998, Nov 24). National report card gives arts education mixed marks. The Christian Science Monitor, pp. 21-21. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/405630705?accountid=35779

Beck, Larry. Royal Shakespeare Company, King Lear/ the Seagull. 2007. Martin Professional, Denmark. Web. 26 Nov. 2011.

Right in Front of Our Noses

“The arts have always had a tough time at school. Unlike sports, they rarely bring in major revenue. The assumption is that they're expendable - a nice frosting, but hardly a necessary ingredient in the educational cake. Being able to spell and calculate trains students for the work force. Learning about Beethoven's Ninth or Ellington's " 'A' Train" might mean the student lives a richer, fuller life - but, hey, what's that got to do with earning a nickel?” (Lamb). The answer is that it has everything to do with “making that bread”. Fine arts within education couldn’t play a bigger role than it already does.

The general viewpoint on the arts is as Gregory Lamb stated; a nice frosting on the cake. But what they don’t realize are the immense benefits of arts programs on the performance of student from the elementary level all the way to the collegiate. Studies have proven “that students in grades 8 to 10 who studied the arts scored better on standardized tests and were less likely to drop out of school” (Lamb). Statistics like those are worth their weight in gold. The ability for something as simple as playing in the school band to raise attendance and grades show that the fine arts are a serious tool that should be seriously utilized by school systems throughout the nation. While in high school, I bore personal witness to many of my class mates dropping out before their junior or senior years. What the educational establishment may not realize is that “while nearly 5 percent of the children not involved in the arts dropped out of school by 10th grade, only 1.4 percent of the children involved in the arts did so” (Lamb). A difference of 3.6 percent can mean the difference of 18,000 students staying in school out of a group of 500,000 students. I don’t know about you, but being able to keep 18,000 youth in school is going to greatly benefit our nation as a whole.

So we are faced with an ethical dilemma; support the arts and better our country or dismiss them as we have and allow a greater percentage of students to suffer the consequences. I think the solution is crystal clear in this situation. The government needs to increase subsidization of the nation’s fine arts in an effort to better our educational system.

To All the Non-Believers...

I feel strongly that works of fine art should receive more subsidization from the government in order to lower ticket prices and allow a larger base of people to attend. However, not everyone shares this view. In fact, some believe that the fine arts may receive too much funding.


With the establishment of the NEA (National Endowment of the Arts), the government has been allotting funding for arts establishments all over the nation. The NEA’s government appropriation in 2000 was $100 million. Many people ask themselves why their tax dollars go towards funding such things. They feel as though the money could and should be going towards other national issues, such as digging us out of this economic hole we have dug ourselves into. Let’s be honest, $100 million is no amount to shake a stick at. New York City alone has been graced with serious amounts of money thanks to the NEA. In fact, “The Metropolitan Opera in New York City has been the single largest recipient of NEA funds, with annual grants between $800,000 and $900,000” (Rice). That’s almost one million dollars going towards one institution. I think it is pretty clear as to why many people look at this government funding with dropped jaws and sheer disbelief. Frankly, I find it hard to blame them. Looking at large organizations such as the “Philadelphia Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony, which received $290,000 and $280,000, respectively” (Rice), one wonders why they need such large amounts of money. Shouldn’t they be able to fund themselves?     

         

The true answer is that large fine arts organizations need the federal appropriation from the NEA. Without it the productions would not have the potential to be such complex works of art that truly give us that “WOW” experience. It is a fact that without this funding, one of two things would happen. The productions would either have to cut back on the quality of work or raise the ticket pricing through the roof. We already look at ticket prices to shows in such places as the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and get sharp pains in our savings accounts. I strongly feel that a larger amount of government appropriation would allow the shows to retain the quality of work that we have come to expect while allowing a larger range of patronage, thus boosting the appreciation of the arts throughout the nation.

"The Arts Will Thrive Without the National Endowment for the Arts" by William Craig Rice.Free Speech. Scott Barbour, Ed. Current Controversies Series. Greenhaven Press, 2000. Excerpted from William Craig Rice, "I Hear America Singing: The Arts Will Flower Without the NEA," Policy Review, March/April 1997. Reprinted with permission of Policy Review, a publication of The Heritage Foundation.

So What's The Big Deal Anyway?

I’m sure we’ve all been to a rock concert at least once in our lives, or maybe even a show in a theater on Broadway. But these events don’t happen without a serious amount of talented and able artists and designers. I could write you a three page list of all the different people it takes to produce an amazing show, both artistically and logistically.

The sad truth of the matter is that the numbers of people entering this artistically abstract field is dwindling. I can’t help but believe this is due to the decreasing patronage of the arts. Very few people wake up in the morning and think to themselves, “I think I’m going to go watch Phantom of the Opera on Broadway this weekend”. Under closer examination, I believe it’s safe to conclude that this is due to ticket pricing. Every time I want to go see any type of musical or concert, I receive an almighty pain in the wallet. The prices of tickets nowadays are through the metaphysical roof. With the economy in the can, only the rich can afford the luxury of frequenting such diverse spectacles of art and, many times, political satire.

With productions of the fine arts being unavailable to the majority, many within the younger generations will go forth in ignorance to not only their benefits, but to the sheer joy that they are capable of bringing. The studies are in and the numbers have been crunched. Fine art benefits people of all genders, races, and ages and this has become more than just a hypothesis. So my question is this: why doesn’t the government subsidize the funding for larger shows to make them more accessible to all? Sure, we can throw money at the NEA and assume they will teach children about arts. But the fact is that art remains a personal expression of emotion and creativity. We cannot teach how to create art because it comes from within. All we can do with education is hand our youth the necessary tools to aspire to something greater than has been done thus far. This is why I say the government should subsidize productions and works that can grasp the creative spark cradled within and use it to ignite the passion necessary to rise to greatness.