Ignorance is everywhere in everyone, and the most ignorance I have noticed most people hold is the opposition to art. In our current world art is not considered a necessity, but I disagree. While as people we need to be realistic and realize art will not pay the bills, I do not think art and artists alike should be thrown to the curb. The under appreciation for art not only in our souls but also monetarily needs to change drastically. I get lots of videos directed to me with “Why your degree is useless” titles, not to mention the plethora of comments on any art videos discrediting art and the artists. I fear if we keep going down this road of hatred for art- it will disappear all
together. So why is art important in the real world and not just our hearts?
Well from a history majors standpoint: art is the pinnacle of society. First, we are taught that art is part of the components of society. Political, social, economic, artistic, religious, and intellectual. Second, we deem eras from the art created, like the Renaissance. Art quite literally defines society and culture from a historical view. Art is also powerful in history and our world- my mind goes to government and the fear and use of art. Throughout history, artists are the first to be attacked when deemed a threat. They’re banned and exiled. Books are banned and burned. And creative classes are the first to get pulled from schools and defunded. And yet, the government also uses art to their advantage. My mind immediately goes to propaganda posters. Most common during the World Wars and in communist countries, art and propaganda have gone hand in hand.
Art is also powerful to the individual. Have you ever been to a museum and been moved to tears? Read a book and cried? Gasped and awed at the movie screen? As mentioned art is frequently feared because it represents human emotion. It allows expression and allows us to glimpse into the human psyche and past humans alike.
Art is also everywhere whether you notice it or not, and not paying artists what they deserve is a crime. Independent artists set their own prices, which is probably who you think of when I talk about artists. The ignorance starts with not realizing there are so many more that society has built on the backs of those that are not compensated for their time and effort. Architecture, advertisement, digital marketing, game design, writing, etc. Anything we consume in our everyday lives is art. That billboard you saw driving to work was created by a digital artist. That magazine you read on the toilet was composed by dozens of writers. Those new shoes you bought were designed by someone. That TV show you watched has hundreds of artists to create that- costume design, special effects, actors, and of course more writers.
All of these different types of artists are the reason we have a society and consumable goods to begin with, and they are not paid even close to what they deserve. Art is slowly dying due to this because it’s not a realistic career to pursue due to the stigma and crappy pay, and I’m not here for it.
Art is so important to the society we live in, and we unfortunately see it disappearing more and more everyday. If we do not do something to directly combat the problem, the death of art will be felt immensely. Personally, I believe that education is the answer to the fight against ignorance. I feel that if we just tuck this knowledge away and are mindful when visiting museums, in college classes, and voting, we can resuscitate art. Not only that, but there’s the step further of supporting artists and non-profit’s with this goal in mind. Art is otherworldly- let’s treat it as such.
