Unbelievably according to the latest paleo-archeological information, the oldest art was created by humans during the prehistoric Stone Age, between 300,000 and 700,000 years ago. This seems to indicate that art fulfills a very basic human need & wasn't seen as a waste of time.
According to the Guardian - "Abandoning the EU could potentially result in a loss of €1.46bn of funding granted to the creative industries, impacting profoundly on the cultural climate of creative Britain". According to the Arts Council, "between 2010 and 2015, figures show that total spending by local government in England on arts and culture development and support has been reduced by 16.6 per cent, tending to hit regions outside London the hardest". Conservative Government policy, unsurprisingly, is "to encourage private donations, including through the tax system, and to support arts and cultural organisations to increase the range and effectiveness of their own fundraising". In other words privatisation & cuts.
My life has been very Arts orientated. I played the piano & have always loved all kinds of music - Opera is a passion. In my time I have enjoyed drawing, painting & textiles myself. I am a volunteer usher at the Playhouse theatre. In my working life as a teacher & head teacher the arts were a very important part of the curriculum in the schools I taught in. There is a strong relationship between arts, culture & education which we are at risk of losing in the current state of straightened financial times.
Humans have basic needs & I would argue that the Arts are one of them. Are we really so impoverished that we are prepared to risk losing the creativity which has defined humankind since the beginning? What sort of people will we be in a future without the Arts?
www.visual-arts-cork.com/prehistoric/paleolithic-art-culture.htm
www.artscouncil.org.uk/ https://www.britishcouncil.org/arts
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