If you've been with us a while, then you've seen me question economic-outcomes-based justifications for art. If the topic interests you, then hold on tight. Here come some links.We'll start at the excellent Fractured Atlas blog and a post by Arwen Lowbridge. (Who I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of weeks ago. Hi, Arwen!)
So. Arwen links us to an interview with "financial kingpin John Bogle" who says:
I'm perfectly willing to give a high value, for example, to art and poetry and literature. They add value to society. It may not be easy to measure it in a society that measures too much of what's not important. And not enough of what is important. As the sign in Einstein's office says-- There are some things that count that can't be counted. And some things that can be counted that don't count.Arwen goes on:
This is one of the unique challenges that arts organizations face when it comes to justifying our existence as charitable under the IRS code (which does not actually recognize art as a charitable activity) and to grant makers who often require "measurable outcomes" when requesting funding and reporting on funds received.Or, as I put it a little bit ago.. . .
Arts advocacy seems to feed this obsession with quantity over quality by continuing to tout the economic impact of the arts on communities rather than developing initiatives to promote the intangible value art provides and educate the voters about what a society without art would look/feel/taste/smell/and sound like.
So, here we are, telling people that we need to produce Endgame because it will convince yuppies with kids to move into the new million dollar condos on Main St.
We could stop there, however, Ms. Lowbridge then leads us to a group of people who may, in fact, be able to measure the un-measurable. That would be WolfBrown, who've just released their report Assessing the Intrinsic Impacts of a Live Performance.
You probably remember Intrinsic Impacts from our discussion of the Rand Report. Well, The Artful Manager has read the WolfBrown report and is unpacking its implications on his blog.
I've just downloaded the report myself, but I'll report back ASAP. Stay-tuned.Intrinsic impacts derived from attending a live performance can be measured Different types of performances create different sets of intrinsic impacts An individual's 'readiness-to-receive' a performing arts experience influences the nature and extent of impacts.
