Suchergebnisse

The transition to post-industr'ism is marked by increasing pol'al concern for the quality of life. The arts, an important determinant of the quality of life, are affected by this transition in the following ways: growth of mass participation in cultural activities; elaboration of the instit'al framework of the arts; formation of a 'culture lobby'; & pol'alization. Decisionmakers in gov, business, res, & educ must begin to take into account, as one entry in their cost-benefit ledgers, the cultural consequences of their actions. A cultural data system is needed to provide information for rational policy-making in the cultural field & to assist those outside the field in understanding their impact on it. A tentative model is constructed to facilitate the monitoring of qualitative, as well as quantitative, changes in the arts in contemporary society. 15 variables are suggested, which, taken together, comprise an index of the state of health of a nation's culture. Ways are proposed by which changes in these variables can be statistically measured. HA.

Public subsidization of the arts can be harmful, since it fosters profligacy & indulgence in the artist as well as in those who distribute the funds. Underwriting artistic endeavor has never guaranteed quality. Art created to please critics, & to keep public funds coming in, is contrived; quality is sacrificed in the pursuit of originality. Subsidies may also damage appreciation of art. No longer trusting its own response, the public comes to rely on the judgment of appointed experts. Specified in the dissection of the British Labour Party's arts policy are the dangers of official cultural positions. Notable institutions, eg, Covent Garden & the National Theatre, probably would fold under present circumstances without some state support; however, rescinding entertainment taxes is seen as a means of restoring funds to the art-conscious public that could be used for private support. Greater public access to art could also be encouraged through the subsidized establishment of more bookshops. D. Dunseath.