What are the implications of having lack of arts and culture on a society?

Question

Similarly, how would it harm the city if there is too much art and culture and little importance is given to the money matters?

What factors help strike a balance between arts and finances?

From a social psychologist's point of view, what complications can arise from the extreme cases of both?

(I am not a psychologist so, I guess you needn't be a psychologist to answer this question either)

Eagerly awaiting some enlightening answers and real-life examples of either too money-minded big cities or too artistic and cultural towns...

Thanks

Answer 1

it's hard to have a vibrant arts community in a city that doesn't have the population base to draw from or support it. but in such a city, the arts should be (and often are) supported through private grants as well as public funding.

one example of arts and culture that is present in almost every major community i know of is public radio. taking this example, there is some funding provided by organizations like CPB, but much of it is raised through private donations and fund drives. either way, public (often news or classical music) radio thrives because of tihs funding, but it would probably not exist in its present form without it.

the fine balance between the arts and finances? a city must have an effective spokesperson and receptive leadership in order to fund public art or museums at an adequate level. of course when money gets tight, one of the first items to get the hatchet is spending on cultural festivals, sister cities, etc. is this right? citizens expect certain things from their local governments, and if the populace doesn't "speak for the trees" as the lorax did, they will be lost.

extreme funding for art and culture will cause those who "don't use it" to cry out and start a backlash against it. no spending will cause a community of artists and performers to close up shop and find an alternate reality, or (worse yet) an alternate locality.

duluth, minnesota (population 85,000) is regularly cited as a good example of a city that supports arts and culture, especially so for its size. there is a symphony orchestra, there are several local alternative news and fiction publications, at least four public radio stations, massive amounts of public art, several highly regarded museums, and quite a vibrant arts community. one of the institutions that supports these efforts is the presence of three universities in the city. universities are powerful tools in recruiting and maintaining the arts. another plus is a beautiful green and blue natural setting, which inspires artists (such as they are) to muse over a lake superior sunrise, or one of several cascading creekside parks far (but not TOO far) removed from the everyday din. beauty attracts more, and wonder supports the arts. the city itself has made efforts to reach out globally, effecting sister city relationships with cities in canada, russia, and sweden. in addition to bringing forth valuable cultural exchanges, they have helped to introduce new ways of doing business, which has helped those who do not see the affective benefits of sister cities to appreciate the financial ones. and of course, receptive city leaders were (and are) instrumental in making this so.

if those accustomed to a certain level of worldliness in their hometowns were to suddenly lose access to it, their worlds would become much bleaker places. but as long as those with a voice support arts and culture, that won't happen.

Answer 2

I just want to add to discussion here..

We have towns locally that are very art concentrated. We have well-known colleges and those areas are home to many writers and actors -- artistically minded people. These are wealthy towns. Unfortunately, the wealth belongs to those who do not make their living locally. They bring their money with them from Hollywood or New York, and invest in land and recreation. These are things that do not naturally support the people native to the community.

We also have towns of industry and wealth. Local industry was the leading edge of technology in days gone by. Precision instruments were manufactured here, tools, and computer components. However, manufacturing and technology are cyclical economies. Presently, our local industrial communities are suffering, and a previously wealthy neighboring town has chosen to host a much needed prison to bring jobs into the town. Streets that were widened to support four lanes of traffic are often traveled by one or two lonely vehicles during the light of day.

These towns aren't far from each other. We live in a very small state. One town, rich with outside money... another town, supporting a citizenry that grew during the times of wealth. These people can't afford homes in the neighboring "artsy" towns. It's a dichotomy that causes me to question the art of politics. There is an inequity between the two and I see value in your question.

I would suggest that the only balance between the two could be the schools -- but politics in our area has caused the gap to widen and the burden of supporting the schools has become greater for the full-time residents. The "artsy" town supports the schools with their high tax rates while the "old industry" towns become the receiving towns of government funding, getting their financial base from the property taxes of the wealthy second homes and the few locals who have managed to hold on in spite of the local slump.

(I'm not looking for best answer here. I just thought it interesting and something that could contribute in some way to the discussion.)

Answer 3

I think you are asking about a public policy. I can't believe a society would have a lack of people who engage in the arts. It is impossible to have a lack of culture, since the ways of a society are its culture, by definition. Maybe you mean enlightenment,civilization, sophistication and tradition.

When public policy concerning these attributes is out of balance, the citizens generally are deprived. The scope of their malady depends on the extent of the imbalance, but in the general course of life, it will improve.

Answer 4

this is the stunning thing approximately spirituality, there is is not any one philosophy. people grow to be spiritualists by way of fact they now no longer desire to be constrained to a conforming, dogmatic or unavoidably prevalent way of believing. Your techniques and ideology can substitute and evolve as you do. i ought to provide you an answer immediately and then yet another in a month and that they could be thoroughly distinctive. this is the place you're that 2d, consistently striving to be attentive to greater to be closer in your self, the Universe or God.....or Krishna, Buddha....get it?

Answer 5

too artistic towns will suffer poverty. they may even be exploited.

lack of arts leads to spartan conservative views. and i think people can lose their sense of humor.