The first time I realized that art was underfunded was when I was in my third grade art class. I remember trying to color one of my drawings, but the markers were all pushed in. I tried to use the colored pencils, but the pencil sharpener would jam if we used it to sharpen them. The crayons were old and waxy giving an undesirable texture. I ended up bringing some of my own markers to school to finish coloring my drawing. By the end of the school year, all the supplies that were donated or bought at the beginning of the year were completely used and dried up. The subject that allows students to be creative and take a step away from the tests and homework always seems to be the subject with the smallest budget.
I continued to have these experiences throughout middle and high school and it also played a large role in the colleges I was applying to. During one of my college visits to a school in upstate New York, I asked the tour guide about their art department. She replied by saying, “Oh, wow- truthfully, I don’t know if we have one.” I knew I would not be attending that school; I did not even apply.
It has become clear to me that art is not only underfunded, but also undervalued. Since art is undervalued by society, it is easy for schools and communities to decrease the art budget or remove it all together. I think it is sad that art is not seen as a core subject or even a core part of life. Art is everywhere, everything around you is created by someone. Imagine a world without art, without color and creativity, a world where it is all work and no play.
Personally, I have felt this issue my whole life. When I tell people that I am an art major I get side eyes and questions like “Well, what are you going to do to make money?” When I was younger, I did not understand why people would say this to me. I would always reply by saying “I would rather do something I love and just make it by than hate my job and have an abundance of money.” It was not until I was older that I realized the world does not care about artists, but they do want the art they are creating. Everyone wants a house that is decorated in a certain aesthetic, but they complain to artists about the prices of their pieces. People want discounts on art pieces but fail to realize how expensive the supplies are for the artist. Schools want these beautiful murals painted, but they expect them to be done by unpaid volunteers. Parents want their children to be creative but tell them that art is not a viable career option.
Even though this has always been an issue, I started to become hopeful about a resurgence in art within this past year. During quarantine I watched as parents posted videos making crafts with their children and helping them attend Zoom art classes. While the world felt uneasy, I watched as people started to turn to art as a coping mechanism. I was thrilled that people who claimed they could not draw started to try. It did not matter what the end result was, what mattered was that they were taking the time to become the artist and possibly see the work that goes into a piece. Sadly, my hope has started to fade again. Even though people started to create more, I still feel that there is a lack of understanding and support for artists. It got worse when a couple of weeks ago I came across some TikToks where people were telling viewers which majors were the best, would bring in the most money, had the most jobs, would provide the best life. All of these videos I saw had art majors at the bottom of the list. These videos, whether intending to or not, reinforced the statement that I have been told my whole life; that art is not a viable career option. You can not tell people that art is not a viable career, but expect there to still be art.
I truly do believe that if we viewed art as a core function in society, communities and schools would be more inclined to reinstate art programs and centers. Art classes and supplies would be more readily available and creativity in the future generations would flourish. We are slowly fading into a society consumed with technology, turning our backs on creativity. It is not enough to “support the arts” you also must support the artists. Stop turning away when an artist tries to explain their struggles. Do not complain about the price of the art or ask for it for free; that is someone’s masterpiece. Most importantly, stop reinforcing that art is not a good career choice. We all crave art; it truly is all around us. However, if society continues on this path of killing creativity, defunding art programs, increasing supply costs, and saying that being an artist is not a career, we will soon see all the creativity drain from the world. Stop undervaluing art and artists.