Presents three justifications of the arts and arts education: the arguments of (1) individual consciousness; (2) societal self-awareness; and (3) cultural presence. Claims young people need wide experience as both makers and consumers of cultural works. (NH)

This paper advocates music and other arts as offering a unique course to both the celebration of cultural diversity and the pursuit for those human, unifying factors that may keep society together. Sections of the paper include an introduction, a historical perspective on the value of the arts and humanity, and a conclusion related to how equity…

Noting that while the arts world has responded angrily to recent cuts in the budget of the National Endowment for the Arts, it has tended to ignore the total elimination of an even bigger funding source for the arts--the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) program. To illustrate the importance of CETA to the arts, the paper first…

Examines the economic, social, educational, and political justifications for public subsidies for the arts. The author finds that each argument reflects a utilitarian bias. Support for the arts for their own intrinsic aesthetic value is not used as a justification. (AM)

The report discusses the Ford Foundation's support for the arts in the United States since 1981. The premise upon which the Foundation provides such support is that the arts provide an immediate and intense means of communication, both in the present and across the centuries. A potent reflector and interpreter of values, art illuminates the…

Asserts that the idea that intimate knowledge of the arts is crucial to the workings of a healthy society is catching on. Provides a history of American attitudes toward the arts. Summarizes ideas presented in reports by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Missouri Arts Council. (PRA)

Recommendations are provided about a new data series that would serve as a measure of the extent and quality of participation of the U.S. population in arts and cultural activities. Eight chapters review and evaluate the state of social statistics and indicators of arts audiences. Chapter 1 defines "indicator,""culture," and…

New England's college- and university-based arts programs feed both the imagination and the economy. The region has 5% of the nation's population, but awards arts and music degrees to 8% of the nation's graduates, garners 7% of National Endowment for the Arts funding, supports over 1000 commercial arts-oriented businesses, and 10,000 nonprofit…

Suggests two ways in which arts experiences may contribute to English teacher preparation. Offers a three-phase approach for incorporating arts experiences in English teacher education programs. (RL)

This book argues that parents, by spending 20 minutes each day imparting the wisdom found in its pages, can compensate for the lack of cultural education their children receive in school. Predicated on the idea that there is a certain background "core knowledge" that every American school child should possess, the book can also be used…

Serious discussion of the status of children's culture in Sweden began 15 to 20 years ago. Today, it is increasingly realized that children need and have a right to personal artistic experiences. A report presented in the spring of 1983 by the National Council for Cultural Affairs on interaction between preschools and local cultural life prompted…

Critiques the effectiveness of various National Endowment for the Arts programs which sought to develop a broad and discerning audience for the arts. Explores the underlying reasons for the failure of government policy in arts education to promote aesthetic welfare and educational/cultural participation. (TRS)