NEA: New data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) offers an insightful picture of the impact the arts have on the nation’s economy. The arts contribute $763.6 billion to the U.S. economy, more than agriculture, transportation, or warehousing. The arts employ 4.9 million workers across the country with earnings of more than $370 billion. Furthermore, the arts exported $20 billion more than imported, providing a positive trade balance.
3 comments:
This article proves one importance the arts have. It’s great for our economy. That is just one thing its good for but what this article ends up speaking to is the need for the arts. We have historically hated against the arts cutting them out of schools. We have criminalized art, we have banned art. Some of this is in our past and some of it is now. Around the world art is still a crime, it is still banned, and it is still being taken away. In America it is currently being taken away. We have cut arts from our schools. We have recently put into place laws that don’t allow money to go the arts. In other parts of the world, art isn’t even allowed. Yet art is something that heavily contributes to America’s economy and should have more value placed upon it. Art doesn’t just help the economy, but it helps people. In our daily life it creates a nice atmosphere and induces creativity, something many empowers want anyways. For those who watch television and movies it gives an escape and a form of entertainment and for those who are unfortunate, it can give an idea of life and hope. All of this is important and can’t be achieved as well or even at all without having art around. You see it daily anyways as every building is a form of art in its own way. So, without art, where can you even work. If we did have building that weren’t artistic, you can imagine a box with now windows and a large number of smaller walls inside forming cubicle like spaces for people to work. Art is important, and this article gives one reason as to why.
It is nice to see studies like this coming forward. Of course the arts contribute to society this much. We as humans are drawn to create art. It is in our nature to do so. Everyone has a little bit of an artistic inclination inside of themselves, and everyone benefits from a society where art flourishes. This is how we progress as a society. This is why it makes me so angry when I hear about funding for the arts being cut. It is just nonsensical for this to happen. Art is the key to a thriving society, both socially and economically. I do not think that many people quite realize this. Even I did not realize that art could be a viable career until just recently, but it can be and actually is. Sure it can be risky, but where is the fun in doing what you know for a fact will be safe?
This is a great study. People do not always see how much the arts really contribute to the community until they are gone because a lot of what we most associate with them is related to things that are not directly tide to them. Art is a natural and integral part of our society. Proving that its good for the economy shouldn't have to happen for it to be successful but the day and age in which we live in with a president and a government which does not believe in the growth and the development of the arts is sad and somehow needs this as a requirement and a proving point to keep the arts together. Art is essential to a well functioning society and should be something that we are pushing in our schools and at young ages when we can rather then taking away in order to save other required things their is a lot that can be changed in order to better our society the arts is one that looks to be going in the wrong direction at the current rate though.
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