Writelife

Yesterday the current Canadian election turned to support of the arts, or the lack thereof. Parties on all sides took their positions, ridiculed their opponents position and, as you might imagine, it all devolved into the usual pointless rants.

I find discussions of the subject of government support of the arts largely pointless because they have all the appearance of two people trying to carry on a discussion in two very different languages.

On the pro side, many of the arguments come across as airy-fairy, pie-in-the-sky, sentimental nonsense. People on the negative side, particularly those described as “ordinary Canadians,” can’t see the point of putting money into something they just don’t get, particularly when there is still debt to be paid and jobs to be created. As for identity, there is a kind of, “I know who I am; I don’t need an artist to tell me,” kind of attitude.

And artists are maddened by what appears to be an intransigent, Philistine mind set on the opposite side of the fence from them.

Here’s the thing: the value of the arts is rarely touched on because artists are wildly inept at communicating the value to non-artists. It’s as if they were trying to define a French word by explaining it in French to someone who doesn’t speak French. Both people will eventually become exasperated. Often, the non-artist is practical, tactile oriented person who finds it next to impossible to see the worth in something that is spoken of in a way that makes it appear to be insubstantial and amorphous.

I think, however, there might be a better chance of communicating the value of the arts if, rather than speaking in terms of uplifted spirits and cultural identity and so on, we spoke in terms of brand. Because, in fact, the arts and culture are a country’s brand. They aren’t the only elements affecting it, but they are key when it comes to how citizens and, from an economic perspective, the rest of the world perceives a nation.

Generally speaking, when you don’t support your brand, you damage it. At the very least, you abandon it to the vagaries of the world - and someone else may end up defining your brand.

Support of the arts should be thought of in terms of investment. And you should look for an R.O.I., a return on that investment. However, return doesn’t have to be thought of in terms of money. Surely there are indicators that help us judge whether an investment in the arts has had a positive impact and is generating a return. For example, are more movies being made in Canada and are they bringing jobs to the country?

It may not be the way the average artist wants to think of the arts, but when trying to communicate the value of those arts to non-artists, the language of business is at least something many of them understand.

I think it’s more than warranted to review programs that support the arts and see if they are having a positive effect, and to monitor the arts to see what areas are strong and which ones are weak, and direct funding appropriately. Of course, it’s difficult to judge the success of an investment in the arts over the short term. Generally, results come across in the long term.

And let’s not forget the argument that Daniel Pink makes in his book, “A Whole New Mind,” that the future for those of us in the West will depend largely on our creativity.

Me? I’d support the arts. I might want to review what I’m supporting and question how success is measured, but I would support them because I want my country to have a strong brand. It would also help make some hedges on the future to ensure we have pay cheques.

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