Topic: Are the Arts Motivational Entry Points for Non-Academic Students?IntroductionFor a long time, academic courses, specifically STEM programs (i.e. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) have often been favored because of their real (and perceived) employability chances. It is indeed true that most societal undertakings are driven by specializations in these academic courses. However, this does not necessarily mean that there is no place for artistic specializations for non-academic students. It

Bill Ivey's Art, Inc. With an insightful analysis of modern economics and its impact on the state of art and culture in America, Arts, Inc.: How Greed and Neglect Have Destroyed Our Cultural Rights is author Bill J. Ivey's attempt to sound the alarm and preserve the artistic and cultural heritage which defines every great society. As the former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Ivey is uniquely qualified

18). Assessing the economic impact of the arts on these communities allowed the researchers to then produce a national impact estimate, the results of which were stated above. Ultimately, the researchers found that when communities "support the arts, [they] not only enhance the quality of community life but also invest in their economic well-being" (Cohen, Schaffer, & Davidson, 2003, p. 30). The researchers concluded by noting that while "the very

He also asserts that government participation in the arts beyond its role as a consumer can pose significant hindrances to the artistic processes. He claims that politics tends to "seek stability, compromise, and consensus," and as a result avoids supporting art that may "offend majority opinion or go over its head" (38). The market, on the other hand, has "liberated artists…from the potential tyranny of mainstream market taste" (23). Is

The production of art should be viewed as a necessity for everyone, the rich or poor, smart or dumb, disturbed or not (Sweet pp). The contemporary tendency to diminish the importance of what used to be referred to as a "liberal arts education," and the downsizing of art and music classes in our grade schools, certainly underscores society's miscomprehension of the "basic need to know ourselves and the best

NEA delivers bad news to Kansas Arts Commission," when the Republican governor of Kansas Sam Brownback denied funding to the Kansas Arts Commission, the governor set into action a chain of events that made the Arts Commission ineligible for matching federal funds from the National Endowment of the Arts. According to federal regulation, the Kansas Arts Commission must show that it is supported financially by the state to receive