Funding for Arts programs on any level is always an area of debate. Unlike many money fueled arguments, both sides would like to fund the arts. The real dispute is whether public institutions, such as colleges and universities, can justify allocating limited funds to the arts rather than other areas of study. Recently, many universities and state representatives have decided that studying the arts is a luxury. There is a growing movement to restrict the public funding of the arts in higher education.
Traditionally, art has been viewed as equally necessary to a student’s education as any other subject. In recent years this idea has been up for dispute. Many believe that the arts have minimal benefits despite studies such as “Learning through art,” a program conducted by the Guggenheim suggests that learning about art improves students’ performance in other areas. Other studies show that employers are looking for creatives, typically people found studying the arts. Those who are attempting to protect arts funding are not currently those in power and are witnessing a nationwide defunding of the arts.
In many states, like Kentucky, the Governor and state representatives believe that colleges are producing too many humanities majors and not enough STEM. According to the New York Times Article, “A Rising Call to Promote STEM Education and Cut Liberal Arts Funding,” Kentucky Governor, Matt Bevin believes that the state should no longer fund programs like art because there is no need for artists in the job market. He claims, “All the people in the world who want to study French literature can do so; they’re just not going to be subsidized by the taxpayers like engineers will be, for example.” This would mean the end of public funding of the arts.
Other universities are taking a less blatant approach. Schools such as the University of Oregon have adjusted their budgets to favor research programs rather than art ones. According to The Emerald article, “Goodbye Instructor. Hello Research: Faculty cut to make room for research,” Humanities faculty took a substantial hit, loosing 21 non-tenured faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences at the end of the 2016-2017 school year, despite a $500 million donation to build a new science complex. The arts’ future is reliant on those in power deciding on its role in education.