Art, evolution, and arts education

Abstract

I do not know art when I see it or hear it. I may be more forthright in making this confession than most people, but I am surely not alone. A 1988 study conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts, Toward Civilization, tells the story. According to the report, most Americans have not had any form of arts education. While nearly half claim that they have had lessons or classes in music (47 percent), just 25 percent have had a course in the visual arts, 18 percent in creative writing, 16 percent in visual arts appreciation, and 20 percent in music appreciation. Formal courses are not the only way to gain awareness and understanding of the arts, of course, yet a 1982 Endowment Survey of Public Participation in the Arts found that less than 40 percent of Americans participate in the myriad arts supported by the NEA (39 percent). I do enjoy what I think is art: I visit art museums, exhibitions, and festivals as well as other cultural events. Until quite recently, I had left to the judgments of the "experts" boards of trustees, foundation executives, arts administrators and organizers, and the l iketo confirm that what I was experiencing was art. In a keynote address delivered on November 12, 1989, entitled "The Morality of Philanthropy" (a shortened version appears in this issue of Society), noted arts critic Samuel Lipman asks that we reconsider those judgments. This article examines his conclusion and offers a strategy for improving decision-making conceming support for the arts.