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Is there a Better Case for the Arts?

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Arts Journal, March 2005, USA

A new RAND study, commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, Gifts of the Muse: Reframing the Benefits of the Arts, argues that basing so much of the case for the arts on their claimed external benefits - their utility in addressing public issues and concerns - has drawn us away from the true power and potential of the arts, and weakened the long-term position of the arts in the public mind. Sponsored by the Wallace Foundation, online arts and cultural publication, ArtsJournal, engaged 11 prominent US arts figures to 'blog' from March 7-11 on the question: "Is there a better case to be made for the arts?", using the above position as a starting point. Readers were also invited to contribute to the discussion and their comments were incorporated into the weblog archive. Participants included:

  • Ben Cameron - Executive director of Theatre Communications Group;
  • Adrian Ellis - Managing consultant of AEA Consulting;
  • Bill Ivey - Director of the Curb Center, Former Chair, NEA;
  • Joli Jensen - Professor, University of Tulsa, Author: Is Art Good for Us?;
  • Jim Kelly - Director, 4Culture, Seattle, WA;
  • Phil Kennicott - Culture critic, Washington Post;
  • Glenn Lowry - Director, Museum of Modern Art;
  • Robert L. Lynch - President, Americans for the Arts;
  • Midori - Violinist;
  • Andrew Taylor - Director, Bolz Centre, University of Wisconsin;
  • Russell Willis Taylor - President, National Arts Strategies. The discussion was moderated by Doug McLennan, Editor of ArtsJournal.com. To access the discussion archive online, go to: www.artsjournal.com/muse

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