Dr. Wow on government support of the arts

Obama’s Arts Commission Proposal

Recently there has been discussion regarding a proposed Arts Commission. Some think this would be similar to the Depression Era WPA programs. Experience with commissions, or a bit of familiarity with the WPA program artists, and a few minutes thought will dampen this enthusiasm.

The WPA programs were funded through several Bureaus and Agencies. Around 20,000 projects were funded. These included many fields such as murals, stonecutters, heroic statuary, architecture, regional pottery centers, silkscreen poster studios, documentary photographers, and a few easel painters. Many of these endeavors involved several assistants and production workers. The level of pay was very low, just enough to sustain life.

There are probably 10,000 creative persons today for every artist in existence in the 30’s. The realm of creativity has dramatically increased. Despite the factor of 10,000 artisans increase in the arts, the level of patronage has increased perhaps 100 fold. No modest contemporary WPA program could ever trickle down to artists such as those seen on the Artwalk.

Read the rest at Nurse Fusion's blog.

But there's another way to do this, something I've supported for a long time. It's politically dangerous, of course, and is unlikely ever to happen. It is this: establish both maximum and minimum incomes by virtue of citizenship. That is, 100% of income over a set figure is taxed. Nothing is taxed below a set figure, which is large enough to live on, (with the graduated tax within these limits) and additionally a livable income is given to everyone at age 18 with conditions. Period. You don't have to do anything for it. If you choose to work, however, you lose it. In other words, support "freeloaders" and from the freeloading class would come incredible artists, I predict. Take the arts out of the commercial market by giving individuals the option to receive a livable wage for doing whatever the hell they want to do, including art. I think I must've been drunk when I thought of this years ago ha ha. But I still find it intriguing.