Over the last few weeks I’ve heard several stories in the press that suggest that the recession is good for the arts. The argument usually goes along the lines of arguing that the arts thrive in challenging situations, the implication being that we’ve had it too good for too long: the recession is shaking artists out of their complacency-funded comfort zones and leading to better, more challenging, more interesting work.
My first reaction to this is to shout – Nonsense! (or something ruder) – and leave it at that. However, the more I’ve heard this argument the more I think it is important that the sector refutes it strongly. Yes artists are resilient, and yes, artists will continue to produce great work in the face of adversity but that doesn’t mean hardship is good for them – anymore than it is good for the rest of us.
Some great art projects are riding the wave of the recession, for example artists in Stroud are using the empty shop units now found on the High Street to present work and run workshops. Exceptions like this project do not prove that the arts, and artists benefit from the recession. There is no doubt that financial hardship will no doubt affect the variety, diversity and quality of artistic experiences available. The impacts will range from fewer individual artists having enough resources to focus primarily on their creative work to large institutions have to make safer programming decisions to ensure they can cover building running costs.
I value the resourcefulness of artists and admire their response to the current financial difficulties. This shouldn’t be mistaken for the ability of the sector to sustain itself in the long-term, without proper funding and support, on the mistaken belief that the sector is better off when facing a crisis.
PS On this blog I have written several articles about the recession and the arts – which can be found below. Toby Young has also pulled together some facts about the impact of the recession on the arts on his blog. Although his facts seem to indicate that the audiences are currently holding up, it seems to me that this evidence holds little comfort when we consider how quickly the situation seems to be heading downhill – while figures might be good for 2008 I doubt they will sustain for 2009!
Shoshana
March 19, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Hi Caroline,
Thank you for posting this. It saddens me to see all the artists and arts organizations struggling during these times. I see in the news how there are closures at alarming rates. The arts uplift us, yet the majority of us are not uplifting the arts.
It is time for a serious shift of thinking as to how important the arts are in our society. One can only hope that some form of Arts Idol or some other So You Think You Can Play an Instrument will wake us up.
I am currently working on a small campaign with hopes of it becoming bigger, writing to television news programs to include an artscast which is similar to a sportscast. There are wonderful artists and arts programs all around us, but the awareness is not reaching the masses. I have included how the arts boosts our economy since people will spend money to escape from our bleak realities. They also tend to go to dinner or perhaps get a drink after the show, boosting their community’s economy.
Maybe we can figure out some solutions to how we can get people to become aware that supporting the arts is important, especially during these economic times.
Thank you again for starting the conversation and for being another person on this earth working for the good of the arts to build quality audiences!
Shoshana
Audience Development Specialists