Let’s Talk About Art — Did You Know? – Dec 2015

A question came up recently about art, “Is art necessary”? The idea that art functions and is useful or necessary in the conduct of human affairs, is novel and perhaps, at best, is greeted with skepticism.
We have been conditioned to regard art as a nonessential, as the product of man or people’s surplus energy and wealth.  Moreover, we think of the fine arts, as being uniquely useless, impractical and an unnecessary fundamental requirement of organized living.  Question?  How do you feel about these statements?
We know from history that the visual arts have existed in one form, or another throughout human history and are thriving at the present. How are we to explain their survival, and indeed, their prominence for so long under such varying circumstances and among so many diverse peoples? Do human societies tolerate art and artists because of some blunder in the organization of social life? Or is art practiced and prized because it satisfies vital personal and social needs? The visual arts such as painting, sculpture, architecture, industrial design and crafts are everywhere around us, employed in a multitude of useful ways in the lives of all people.
The question now is “Do you agree with these statements?  The City of Santa Clarita’s Master Plan for the arts has been delayed longer according to the mayor, to secure more information for the city in order to know what is most important to the community in regards to the area of the arts.
Okay… maybe we will know what is important and find out if the community thinks art is necessary?
Jaylene Armstrong is a retired Art Teacher from Madison, Wisconsin, a former National Art Education Association Western Region Vice President and President of Wisconsin Art Education Association.  For more information contact Jaylene at 661-255-3050.