Recently, people in the arts communities have voiced an interest in President Obama establishing a Cabinet-level position in the arts…or at least some sort of executive-level post that coordinates funding and sets priorities across the arts. Quincy Jones was the first to express this interest, and other musicians have supported him. Other nations have Ministers of Culture, including France, Germany, and Finland. Would it work here? An article from the Washington Post (Jan. 14, 2009) offers some background.
ARTH 303: Methods of Art History
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As much as I would like to see increased interest from our government in artistic endeavors, I’m not sure if an art czar would be able to do much of anything in this country. State historical societies, public interest groups and whatnot typically take care of culturally valuable sites and objects of interest. What would a secretary of culture/art hope to accomplish in the middle of an economic crisis? Art is probably pretty far down on the list of priorities right now.