Why Should We Fund The Arts

Should it be funded?

Why should it be funded or if it shouldn't why shouldn't it?

What are the positives and negatives of funding the arts?

A question I hear a lot is why should we fund the arts? With the country struggling economically and in billions of pounds worth of debt why is it important to fund something such as craft and making?

Many people think that the Arts are a luxury and a waste of money especially in times of economic turmoil. For me personally the Arts are more than just a hobby or interest. It's a necessity. They are a way for us to express ourselves, share our stories and to remind ourselves of our history both locally and globally. It's a way of life.

The Arts are a way to broaden our horizons and teach ourselves new ways of thinking. Every person is influenced by the arts every day without even realising it. The clothes you wear, the films you watch were all created by someone with some sort of an education in the Arts.

The Arts have proven to be a great educational asset especially in schools having enhancing students and their academic achievement in multiple areas. Early exposure to the Arts can help sharpen minds and creativity.

It has been shown that the Arts provide a growth in people skills, communication and innovation as well as helping people who suffer with mental health, low confidence, and an absence of well-being. I know this through research into arts and well-being (www.artshealthandwellbeing.org.uk and www.artsforhealth.org). The work I have done with young people and adults would also support this statement. many of them have experienced, from a lack of confidence skills and mental health such as Bi-Polar, anxiety and depression, many of whom didn't have the confidence to leave their geographical area and interact with others, however through participating in the Arts many of these people have said how much of a positive impact arts events have had on their lives and how many of them feel the arts have benefited their state of well-being and mental health whilst helping their confidence skills improve considerably. Many of these people have gone on to becoming active volunteers with some wanting to take their education further in the arts world.

The Arts have proven to have a positive effect on communities in a variety of ways by promoting interaction in public spaces, encouraging neighbourhoods and building on community identity and pride by bringing people together (www.pps.org/reference/artsprojects). I have seen this time and time again and it only leads to helping communities grow stronger together and encouraging neighbourhoods to interact with people from different cultural back grounds.

Let's not forget however the positive impact the Arts have in our economy offering jobs in a variety of fields with the estimated number of jobs in museums, galleries and libraries in 2015 to be around 97,000 with a further estimated 286,000 in music, performing and visual arts. Not only do the arts provide jobs in our economy they also provide a healthy income with visitors and tourists willing to spend money on attending arts events. The collective turnover of business in the UK Arts and Culture industry was 15.1bn in 2013 (Source: Arts Council England) with the CEBR (Centre of Economic and Business Research) announcing that an estimated 7.7bn is put back into the economy from the arts and cultural sectors.

To conclude I think that it is necessary to fund the arts, even though our economy is in financial turmoil we are seeing many people turn to the arts as a way of relief and enjoyment.