Early themes characterizing the arguments for publicly funded government support have shifted away from an emphasis on national and cultural identity, anti-Americanism, and anti-commercialization, to the recognition that the private and public sectors of the arts and cultural industries are interrelated and, as a result, the state still has a role to play in facilitating the success of these industries. The extent of that role is still being debated by contemporary writers.
The History of Public Funding for Arts and Culture in Canada
Early proponents of publicly funded government support for Canadian cultural institutions and programs called for state intervention in the arts and cultural sectors based on three broad arguments: the need to establish and maintain a national identity; defend Canadian culture from “cultural imperialism,” especially in the form of Americanization; and preserve and develop the country’s artistic and cultural heritage while avoiding its wholesale commercialization. Read more…
Conservatives Express Disdain for Arts and Literature
According to a poll by Innovative Research Group, only 40 percent of Canadians agreed in January 2008 that Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government is committed to defending the institutions and values that make us special as Canadians. A year earlier, 74 percent of Canadians said they thought “government investments in arts and culture are needed so we do not forget our past and national history.” Read more…
“Culture is realized only by denying itself as such”, says Pierre Bourdieu [Price 1991]. An interesting insight into the necessarily subconscious nature of any truly vital controlling social norm. That which we are conscious of, that which makes the evening news, may be “true” in a shallow sense but is never the significant underpinning which revs the engines of society. To dislodge that requires a peek under the hood where the unquestioned lies.
Art in Context
In her book Primitive Art in Civilized Places, Sally Price makes interesting points regarding the historical context within which the aesthetic experience of art is embedded. Particularly intriguing is the notion that “a visual perception can be altered when the object itself remains unchanged,” based on the context and visual surroundings of the object and the previous knowledge and experiences of the viewer. No matter how white the gallery walls or how reverential and hushed the whispers, the artwork is still inextricably sunk within a stew of culture. Gallery itself could be display in apartment lviv.
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