Amid the many discussions about economic stimulus funding currently happening in America, one discussion that seems worthy of more attention, not less, is how art is capable of stimulating the economy. To art supporters, it’s a non-issue, but for a sizeable number of policymakers, art continues to be framed as a cash-hungry luxury that has no collateral economic impacts and therefore can be funded only when the economy is on the upswing. Given that so much of the federal government’s stimulus budget has been allocated toward projects and entities related to “infrastructure”, it would seem to be in the interest of the arts to make the case that art is infrastructure, that it is something that can move the economy in a positive direction and that it is a foundation for cities as much as roadways, bridges and parks. The following report from National Public Radio (NPR) provides a point of entry into this discussion.
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