Author: Mulcahy Kevin V.

Publication Year: 1981

Media Type: Book

Summary:

Abstract:

This discussion examines the various arguments that are offered in favor of government subsidy for the arts. Not all the argument are equal importance; but each one provides an insight into how the case for public culture is perceived by its various supporters. By examining each of the arguments (economic, educational, moral, political), I hope that a rationale for public culture will become clearer. In effect, this is a public commitment to the principle that culture is a good in itself and government subsidy is necessary to guarantee its preservation and to increase its accessibility. (p. 34)

Advancing the case for public culture, the subsequent chapter by [the author] begins with the specter of a tax-cutting, no frills in government mentality which threatens to cut the budgets allocated for public culture. [The author's] message is reinforced by the probable effects of the Reagan administration's skepticism about many social programs as well as the neo-conservative critique of public support for the arts. [He] asserts that what public art agencies need is a statement of purpose that will enable them to assert their claim to public support. The typical argument for subsidy, he observes, is economic.

But what if cultural institutions, much less individual artists, make no economic contributions? Can one still make the case for their public support? The difficulty of a stance that goes beyond economics is exacerbated by a strong American tradition that public culture should serve a useful purpose. This utilitarian theme, as former National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman Ronald Berman writes, requires that the arts and humanities be socially useful and a possible cure-all for crime, inner-city tension, and economic malaise. Mulcahy concludes that supporters of public culture need to make the case based on the principle that culture is good for you and that society has a duty to secure its cultural achievements. (General introduction,
p. 2-3)

CONTENTS
The economic argument.
The social argument.
The educational argument.
The moral argument.
The political argument.
The case for public culture: some conclusions.

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Funding