Is Art Dead?

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Recommended: Influence of art on a society

Is Art Dead?

I have been given a lot of grief about my choice to further my education in the fine arts. I have been told that I should not follow my passion, because it will leave me with very few job options. I have been told that even if I am lucky enough to find a job that the pay will be terrible. I have been told that I should obtain a career that doesn't interest me just for the sake of a salary. Well, I hope to prove those naysayers wrong, I might not be pursuing a career that is renowned for being “stable,” but I am pursuing my passion.

Allow me to pose a question to those who doubt my career choice. Have you ever been anywhere where it has not been touched by an art form of any kind? I didn't think so. “Art is as universal to our species as food gathering, procreation, community, and warfare” (Cherbo). Not only is it universal, but I would even venture to say that it is essential to our species. “It has contributed to the manifest needs of human social life from the beginning of time and continues to do so today-to healing, play, entertainment, wonder, celebration, security, catharsis, transcendence, belonging, and social placement” (Cherbo). Art is a part of our very beings, it penetrates us and invokes feeling. It is everywhere, and it is something humans crave. People will spend thousands of dollars to have something beautiful in their homes, so how can they tell me that trying to further my career in the arts is useless when they probably have hundreds of pieces of art decorating their home?

I do realize that there is some truth to the concern that has been expressed to me about my future career. “...Artists from a variety of fields experience higher unemployment rates than the general U.S. Workfor...

... middle of paper ...

...the fact that art has helped me in my life immensely. It has healed me, it has uplifted me, it has given me an outlet to express myself, and it has enabled me to share what I have learned with everyone else.

Works Cited

Cherbo, J.. "On Valuing The Arts. " Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society 37.2 (2007): 170-172. Law Module, ProQuest. Web. 9 Apr. 2011.

Equilibrium. Kurt Wimmer. Perf. Christian Bale, Sean Bean, and Emily Watson. Dimension Films and Blue Tulip Productions, 2002. DVD.

"Higher Rate of Job Losses for Artists, Says NEA Study." Art in America 97.5 (2009): 176. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 10 Apr. 2011.

Schori, Thomas R., Ph.D., and Michael L. Garee. "The illusion of job security.." Millennium Marketing Research's Initial Frame. Millennium Marketing Research, n.d. Web. 1 May 2011.

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