Art On A Budget

Defining Our Culture

Heather Gibson

As artists we are often engaged in our own personal endeavors and sometimes don’t stop to zoom out and observe our culture’s art as a whole. How much is our art defined by the financial and political state of the world we’re living in? In Art History class you learn that the quality of art in city-states largely depended on wealth and political soundness, such as the blossoming of Greek art and literature during Athens’ reign as a maritime power, allotting construction of the Parthenon and what is still considered to be some of most profound literature in Western history. The reverse is also seen in the decline of Roman art and architecture under the egotistical and feckless emperor Commodus, whose only positive cultural contribution was the completion of the memorial column started by his father. After his reign the Roman Empire’s wealth shrunk and political chaos ensued; in response artistic style grew more cursory and confused, omitting any of the fine details found before in the classical realism and naturalism of Greek art. So how is this same concept applicable today? We hear about more and more schools slashing their art programs of all types, and it is becoming more arduous to gain outside financial support from those not in the creative field who may think art is a luxury and unnecessary under financial strain. According to our school’s Communication and Public Relations, Virginia Commonwealth University faces “a $40 million budget gap over the next two years caused primarily by the loss of federal stimulus funding and continued reductions in state funding,” and by next year, “VCU will have lost about one-third of state support for instruction than it had in 2008.” Additionally unhelpful to school systems are mandated tests imposed by No Child Left Behind, which requires testing in math, reading, and science with the threat of cutting funds upon failure to meet certain scores, further encouraging schools to neglect their art programs. But for many who love and appreciate art, it is the very reason we wake up in the morning, and we can’t live without it. So we must defend it. Insightful data collected by distinguished universities emphasize the importance of art in academics. In 1983 Harvard University Professor Howard Gardner introduced the now widelyaccepted theory of ‘multiple intelligences.’ Gardner says there are at least eight forms of intelligences: language, logic, musical, spatial, bodily, naturalist, intrapersonal and interpersonal. According to Gardner, “A good educational system ought to nourish and nurture the range of intelligences,” which include several featured in the arts. Also, in 1997 the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies published the results of a national arts study that revealed a positive relationship between standardized test scores, English grades, and other educational methods. Students in eighth and 10th grade who were considered highly involved in the arts consistently scored higher than those with minimal exposure to the arts (Art Education). But we really don’t have to squint to know the importance of the arts: many enlightening inventions and discoveries started with small sketches, from Galileo’s sketches of the solar system to Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb. Would they have been able to develop their curiosities without first being able to visually map them out? And how do we build an airplane today? Well, the first step would naturally be to draw it. Art is a way to visually articulate our ideas; it should not be regarded as senseless or unnecessary no matter magnitude of economic downfall. All artists have different intentions with their work, but ultimately we want to add beauty and inspiration to the world that is an inherent part of pushing the human race forward. That is quickly overlooked when people try to cut things down to the “essentials.” With the current trend of budget cuts, we might see a pretty ugly world in the near future, and it’s sad to wonder how much better it could be if the kids being deprived of an art program right now were be able to access it. Maybe there is something we can do to change things, maybe not; but it definitely wouldn’t hurt if we voiced our thoughts more and let people know that we will not be left behind.