An Arts Policy?
In: Policy review: the journal of American citizenship, Band 14, S. 83-94
ISSN: 0146-5945
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.