Expressive Life & the Public Interest

Bill Ivey on Expressive Life and Policy

“Today any discussion of art, creativity, heritage, media and the internet is inevitably merged into a broader conversation about democracy, values and public purposes.”

The fine arts that have come to rely on various government subsidies or benefits for their financial health are newly challenged to justify themselves in the light of the diminished capacity of government agencies, corporations and private donors. In the US, the nonprofit arts sector is widely seen as overbuilt, and the metaphors and instrumental arguments that have validated the arts as a destination for public largess appear increasingly inadequate given shrinking resources and challenges from competing sectors like education, health care and the environment – sectors that advocate from a base of strong consensus support. Can the arts find a path to a sturdy platform from which to maintain and advance a robust public-interest argument for government support and various incarnations of private patronage? Read the full article: Expressive Life & the Public Interest.

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Listen to an interview with Bill Ivey on Expressive Life (mp3)