The arts have penetrated every aspect of our culture and lots of people don't even see it. Today I'm making a logical case for the arts. I have grown up in theatre programs all through my education and I would like to explain what the arts actually are. Allow me to demonstrate.
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| Photo by Ensia |
We all know that funding is hard to come by for anything in education that isn't sports. Theatre and art classes are often the first programs to be cut when the budget gets a little bit tight. Unless the school is an arts academy, you may have seen this happen in your own school experience. I want it to be clear that I am not writing this blog post in order to scream at those who were given no choices on cutting the arts. Finances in public schools and colleges get complicated rather quickly. I would, however, like to encourage those who have the funds to continue the arts to support their programs well.
What the arts are
The dictionary defines the arts as "the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination" or "painting, music, literature, and dance". Also, it connects to social life and history, by another variation on the definition, or the skill of doing a practiced talent. By all these definitions we can logically judge that we are surrounded by the arts every single day of our lives.
Visual arts are defined as "the arts created for visual perception", so paintings, graphics, calligraphy, sculpture, decor.......You see my point, I think. Visual arts are all over your homes and workplaces, even to the design of your purses, clothing, and furniture. Someone designed your rug, TV, sofas, ends tables, and everything else you have put on your walls. Photography is an art and you probably have family portraits everywhere. I'm not even naming every possible object - because each product you buy has a graphically designed label.
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| Photo by TechCrunch |
Our entertainment forms started with theatre. Movies can be traced back to theatres and writing. Most good movies were books before they were screenplays. Your music? It all started with choirs. Dancing? That is an art associated with theatre. You participate in the arts daily. Your favorite Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus TV shows and movies are, in fact, just acting in front of a camera or animations with voice-over added. You support the film industry daily, but most forget that there would be no Netflix if the in-person theatre had died long ago.
Literature is deeply engrained in our education systems and lives. Avid readers like me take in hours of reading daily in almost all genres. We express our emotions, thoughts, and what we want known through our books, blogs, magazines, comic books, texts, emails, and graphic novels, and I could go on about writing forms. Whether you are reading a visual or text novel or novella, you are supporting the arts. With this comes a weird idea; the education system makes you read, but doesn't always let you read for pleasure. Another weirder idea is that poetry doesn't get treated as a creative art of imagination when it should be (unless your teacher or prof is awesome and creative in nature). Literature is portrayed as both boring in one place and exciting in another.
History is an art by the definition in our dictionary. It seems odd, even to me, but the truth is that we only know about other societies due to the arts they performed and their written languages, which we study. We also study music, which is passed on through generations. To be entirely honest with you, many of my classmates thought history was boring. It depends on who is presenting it, and quite frankly, how deeply you go into the topic. History gets more interesting when you look at obscure history that they leave out of history books.
Communications and the arts
Most colleges and schools connect communication and the arts - and rightfully so - because to present yourself to others is a performance. To talk to anyone requires written and spoken language. Theatre is telling a story, something that we do every day of our lives.
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| Photo By New York Times |
The communication degree of Public Relations I have earned at Malone University includes written communication, public speaking, event planning, crisis handling, performing arts, and (because I was in the band) performing music in a large group. I don't have a music degree, but music is an art. This means that planning stages you don't see in major or minor events are indeed part of communications and that I don't have to be speaking to a large crowd to be using my Public Relations degree. I'm tired of the misconception that you have to be a public speaker to be in a PR position, as well as the idea that because I am working in sports ministry that I am not using my degree. I am sending emails, setting up for events, posting scores and stats....etc. I am using my degree, but not in the way that the public perception seems to recognize. Behind the curtain PR people are generally administrative in nature and we can't do any events without that aspect. The person presenting in front of the crowd seldom planned the event and the invisible work, when done well, makes it run smoothly. If something goes wrong it shows (as anyone who has made any mistakes will tell you).
All this being said, I come to the point that the arts and communication are directly linked, thus making it possible to speak to another human being and converse. Yet we don't recognize that the arts are all around us every moment from birth to death. There is no time that you aren't involved in the arts in some way. And yet, the arts are the first thing cut and the last thing funded. Strange, isn't it? By not supporting artists our society shoots itself in the foot. We are told the arts aren't practical and you can barely use an arts degree - but I have just proven through logic that we can. This is why you should help your local artists and theatres when given the opportunity.
Bonus Topic
On a related note, live theatre and movie theatre etiquette is not the same. I, personally, have live theatre etiquette deeply established inside me (and this also applies to music performances). Here I highlight the differences.
What is appropriate for movies that are already filmed is not appropriate when actors or musicians are live and onstage. If you dislike a film you can feel free to leave. In the case of jazz clubs and such you can come and go. Live jazz and restaurant music are different, but stage productions and concerts require some thought. Yes, if you are about to pee yourself, please discreetly do so, by all means, but if you leave mid-concert or show and don't come back the actors can see you. It is unspeakably rude to do so.
Also, the audience should never yell at the performers unless the show calls for audience participation (which is a unique situation and happens in some cases). No speaker of any kind should be screamed at rudely - I don't care who they are or what they said. Don't be Statler and Waldorf in real life, ever, because that is not helpful to our performance. The pre-planned banter of Fozzie and his hecklers is planned into the show. Some shows do have that element in them. Preplanned people planted into the audience is one thing, but if you are not part of the show you need to sit and watch without heckling or commentary.
I realize movie theatre etiquette also has some things that need comment, so here is a video on that. Don't be these people!
Video courtesy of Unspeakable and Youtube.com
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