Public Art Research Paper

Art funded by local, state, and federal governments Art improves people’s moods, overall happiness, and outlook on life. Just imagine how many lives have been saved with art. Community members constantly seek out beauty from art, but art can contribute much more than it’s beauty to a society. Art can give a location, a ‘sense of place’, help seniors be healthier, and even improve test scores. Public art provides economic, cultural and educational benefits to a community. Therefore, art should be supported by federal, state, and local governments. Critics believe that art only exists for the upper class. But in the wealthy enjoying art according to Paul Ryan’s House Budget Committee, “arts are generally enjoyed by people with higher income levels, making them a wealth transfer from poorer to wealthier”. This may be …show more content…
State Policy Briefs claims that, “The arts are part of a well-diversified 21st-century economy, generating employment and tax revenues for goods and services in high demand by the public.” This is reasonable with evidence such as how the Chicago bean and how it attracts tourists, which helps the economy there. It is understandable that opinion polls, people overwhelmingly vote to support the arts. In fact, conforming to Lake Research Partners, “91% of voters indicate that the arts are essential to building capacities of the imagination.” In other words, U.S. public support for the arts is only a minor expense for the government. According to the National Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. government spends only, “$.47 per capita on public art” compared to the Arts Council of England, which spends 25 times that amount or, “$13.54 per capita on public art” (National Endowment for the Arts). This is a ridiculous difference between England and the U.S., especially considering that we are at least two times their size in area; that doesn’t even account for the massive population