[dropcap]F[/dropcap]ranz Kafka, an author, wanted his writing to be burned after his death because he was worried people would hate his work. Kafka wrote during the 1900s and was severely under appreciated. He would write a few books and pour everything into his work while he was alive, but they would get no fame until he died. Once Kafka realized he had Tuberculosis and was going to die, he wanted his friend Max Brod to burn and destroy the entirety of his writing. He wanted no trace of it because of his extreme self-doubt. However, Brod did not listen to his dying wish and published the books anyway. This was when Franz Kafka became famous for his writing, but he would be dead before that happened.

Franz Kafka’s story is related to those in the arts right now. They don’t earn credit for much of their material and they don’t gain the help needed from others. The arts are treated unfairly and are constrained from getting the respect they deserve.

The Arts have Little Funding

According to an article by Roxanne Schroeder-Arce, the head football coach at the University of Alabama, Nick Saban, earns over $7 million per year. This is over 70 times more than other teachers in universities. Many people don’t realize art teachers put in an overwhelmingly amount of work into their job and the author of this article puts this belief to rest: “I was a high school theater teacher in Texas for several years. During that time, I was often at the school from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. As I walked to my car each night, typically the only people left on campus were custodial staff and my fine arts colleagues. That included the coaches. However, the football coach’s salary matched mine and the head band director’s salaries put together.” Art teachers are paid substantially less than sports coaches, even though they work the same amount of time. This proves many arts do not receive the same opportunities as sports.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The arts are treated unfairly and are constrained from getting the respect they deserve.[/perfectpullquote]

Art Budgets Are Being Cut

According to a 2010 list of the states that fund the arts the most, Minnesota gave $30, 274, 000. This is a considerable amount, but according to “See How Much Your High School Spends on Boys’ and Girls’ Sports” by Katie Honan, a single sports league in New York City spent about $27 million. A list of sports leagues in New York City shows there are over 50 leagues. Imagine that amount of money put towards all of the sports leagues. The arts are not given nearly that amount of money.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”The football coach’s salary matched mine and the head band director’s salaries put together.”[/perfectpullquote]

Many states are fighting the budget cuts threatening the arts. In California, there is a battle to keep art budgets from being cut and one of these battles started when President Trump expressed interest in cutting the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

“It’s a significant blow,” says California Arts Council director Craig Watson. “Our fear is that even a loss of modest funding will have a ripple effect through local neighborhoods, and the neighborhoods that are least able to afford those losses.”

Image from the National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts was established in 1965. It is an independent federal agency that gives all Americans the chance to be in the arts, become more imaginative, and make minds more creative. The NEA supports all arts and makes sure to promote equal access to the arts throughout every community in America. Many people are worried about controversial pieces being funded, but according to the Constitutional Rights Foundation, in 1990 a law was passed requiring the agency to only fund art pieces that “meet general standards of decency and respect for the diverse beliefs and values of the American public.” According to The Heritage Foundation, the NEA wastes its money on unwanted art and on administration, but they actually help fund a variety of other helpful organizations like the anti-drug program at the YMCA which helps keep kids off the street, and many other education programs. They supported the creation of the Vietnam Memorial too.

[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]To pay for these groups, Americans only have to pay 64 cents a year[/perfectpullquote]There are many other reasons people oppose the National Endowment for the Arts. One worry is the money put towards the organizations. The National Review claims the NEA funds programs that are more for the wealthy, creating a greater gap between the rich and poor. Although the NEA does fund wealthier programs, they also not only fund poorer programs but also provide one million jobs. If the NEA is cut, then these thousands of people will have no way to sustain themselves and will raise the unemployment rate considerably when we’ve been working to get it down to what it is today: 4.1%. Considering this, the NEA has actually helped employment rates while simultaneously providing art programs with needed money to sustain themselves. The organization also helps other industries in an indirect way because before and after shows, many people eat at restaurants. For those who worry about what they have to pay for these groups, Americans only have to pay 64 cents a year. Another effect of the cut of the NEA would be empty galleries in museums and fewer opportunities for adults and children alike. Neal Benezra, the director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), said, “For many of our visitors these exhibitions represent the only opportunity in their lifetimes to enjoy and learn from these important works and the artists who created them.” [perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Art gives a distraction from your worries[/perfectpullquote]

If the National Endowment act was cut then many opportunities for children in school and other artists would be gone. Since art affects everyone, this would be devastating.

The Arts Are Not Taken Seriously

Many people seem to think those going into art are going to crash and burn. It’s always the thought about money and how they won’t survive. Yet, they never seem to take into consideration that those songs on the radio are written by artists. They always think ‘Oh they’re successful artists. That doesn’t count’ but they actually do. Those artists had the same chance to become successful as everyone else and they made it to the top.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“There are several good artists with potential, however, lack of motivation in the form of recognition has disappointed them and held them back from pursuing their art with the needed passion.”[/perfectpullquote]

An article by Bud Bilanich says that Elvis, the “King of Rock” himself, was told by the manager of the Grand Ole Opry, Jimmy Denny, that he was “going nowhere” and how he “ought to go back to driving a truck.” One of the most iconic singers was doubted from the beginning, but now he has the title of “King of Rock.”

Jennifer Hudson finished in 7th place on American Idol and no one thought she would make it much further after that. Now she has won a Grammy, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and many other awards. She has starred in multiple movies and TV series. She has also started The Hudson-King Foundation for Families of Slain Victims. 

Image from DIMOC

Another example of someone who wasn’t expected to do well was Sylvester Stallone, A.K.A Rocky Balboa. Tom Ward writes, Sylvester Stallone was a poor actor living on the streets when he wrote the script for Rocky. He showed the script to some producers and they absolutely loved the idea, but they didn’t want Sylvester to play Rocky. They thought it would be better to use some famous Hollywood actor instead of a nobody living on the street. Sylvester refused to sell the script to them, even though they were offering $360,000. He wanted to be the lead role Rocky, and eventually, the producers allowed him to be in the movie. They didn’t expect much from Sylvester Stallone, but then Rocky became an enormous hit. The movie received nine Oscar nominations and won three of them, one of them being Best Picture, and earned $200 million.

“I thought, ‘You know what? You’ve got this poverty thing down. You really don’t need much to live on.’ I sort of figured it out. I was in no way used to the good life. So I knew in the back of my mind that if I sell this script. and it does very very well, I’m going to jump off a building if I’m not in it. There’s no doubt in my mind. I’m going to be very, very upset. So this is one of those things, when you just roll the dice and fly by the proverbial seat of your pants and you just say, ‘I’ve got to try it. I’ve just got to do it. I may be totally wrong, and I’m going to take a lot of people down with me, but I just believe in it.” – Sylvester Stallone

The Arts Have a Lack of Recognition

I have personal experience with this one. In the 728 district, there is a marching band called the 728 Cadets. It is an organization that was started in 2008 and for the past years has been doing amazing. I am in this organization and have noticed that not many people know this organization even exists. For the past couple of years we have won first in our division and retired two grand championship trophies, yet no one has heard of this. It is an accomplishment we are incredibly proud of and worked hard for. We practice 9 hours a day sometimes and continue to play music in the rain. The only time I have ever seen the 728 Cadets in anything was a single picture in the yearbook from 3 years ago, a banner in the cafeteria just added this year, and at the graduation ceremony of 2017. I am glad the group is getting some recognition, but I do believe something could be done to make it even better.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Art is very important in society because it is an essential ingredient to empowering the hearts of people.”[/perfectpullquote]

The lack of recognition can stop people from going after what they love. Sometimes this affects the 728 Cadets, but we push through it because we have each other. For other artists, it is more difficult to find the motivation to continue doing what they love.

From the website Times of Oman, Sana Al Humaidi says, “There are several good artists with potential, however, lack of motivation in the form of recognition has disappointed them and held them back from pursuing their art with the needed passion.” 

Why Do the Arts Deserve Help?

Many people are excluded from the knowledge of what is good about the arts. There are many ways the arts help children and adults.

Image by Bryant Arnold CC BY-NC

According to “Football or Music? What’s the Best K-12 Investment,” music is actually better for students because it strengthens the brain’s neural activity and development. Music can also continue throughout one’s entire life. This and other art forms lead to students doing better in school. For example, an article by the AAAS used an experiment to prove drawing uses the brain more by teaching blind people to draw from memory while in a fMRI scan to see their brain activity. The results were a significant increase in neural activity, specifically to what would have been the primary visual cortex for these blind subjects. The author Gary Vikan says, “When you’re doing art, your brain is running full speed. It’s hitting on all eight cylinders. So if you can figure out what’s happening to the brain on art, you know a whole lot about the brain.” The use of the brain correlates with art because most students involved in some form of art perform well in mathematics and literacy. In the article “What is Art? Why is Art Important?” Afzal Ibrahim says, “Art is very important in society because it is an essential ingredient to empowering the hearts of people.” He is saying that art, which comes in many forms, can cause people to realize what is happening in the world and change it. Photography is considered a form of art and photographs depicting struggling children or poverty can cause many people to help. Art also shows different cultures. We can learn from seeing different art and understand other cultures better. Everyone knows origami, and that happens to be a Japanese form of art.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]If the National Endowment act was cut then many opportunities for children in school and other artists would be gone[/perfectpullquote]

The author Maria writes that art makes you think. It makes you try and understand what the artist was intending to make you think. Art lasts longer than almost anything else, and it is a universal language that everyone can understand. There was art 40,000 years ago and it is still making an impact in today’s life. Paintings are not in need of words to describe what it is and music is meant to be listened to and interpreted in your own way.

According to “The Mental Health Benefits of Art Are for Everyone” making art relieves stress. It gives your brain a break from thinking normal thoughts. Art gives a distraction from your worries. Those with mental illnesses forget they have that illness, to begin with when they participate in art. It also gives a sense of self-accomplishment. When you put hours into a project, it gives a satisfying feeling to know it is finally done. 

The arts are extremely important in everyone’s lives. They affect who you are and what you do. If the arts are cut from schools, then creativity will be gone as well. There will be no more motivation to become an artist and the possibilities to enjoy art will disappear. This is why the arts must be kept in our schools, in our neighborhoods, everywhere.

If we keep the arts, then we also keep the imagination and creativity that comes with it. If we cut them, the walls will be blank and our ears will hear no more.

Featured image from Pexels