Example research essay topic: Freedom Of Expression Forms Of Art - 596 words

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It is my opinion that the role of the arts in our country is that they are part of our educational system. The arts and art education teach us design, organization, cooperation, creativity, risk-taking, and most of all that we need to be active participants in our society. I believe that education is a main priority and therefore art should be as well. Since 1965 the most prominent source of government support for the arts has been from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

In the Declaration of Purpose for the NEA, Congress said that, it is necessary and appropriate for the Federal Government to help create and sustain a climate encouraging freedom of thought, imagination, and inquiry. The federal government has been funding art for centuries, long before the creation of the NEA in 1965. In the 1930 s, the federal government employed thousands of artist, photographers, writers, dramatists, and musicians to help them survive in the depths of the Great Depression. Many artists in the federal program helped document the events of the time. Photographer Dorothy Lange, for example, traveled the country to take memorable photos of unemployed men in soup kitchen lines, ruined farms in the Dust Bowl, and poor unemployed families in labor camps. Others were employed in public work projects, painting murals or sculpting in government buildings.

And still others were paid to practice art. Among some of the notable artists that were on the federal payroll at the time were painters William de Knowing and Ben Shall. The government even ran a theater called the Federal Theatre Project, which got shut down because of its controversial left-wing views found in most of the productions. Many people believe that the NEA should not receive funding, or in other words, should be shut down. An extremely valid argument is that in attempting to draw guidelines on which pieces or exhibits should be funded by the federal government we are infringing on the freedom of expression and therefore, the funding for arts should be left to the private sector.

I strongly believe in all of my inalienable rights, which includes freedom of expression. I also strongly believe that the government should play a role in the funding of art. It is up to our elected officials to make competent decisions on which exhibits and or pieces to endorse. When the government funds controversial forms of art they are representing the majority of American voters. If their decisions cannot reflect the majority than some kind of a reform must take place. I do not mean abolishment!

It seems to me that the art world has brought the problem, of which forms of art to endorse, upon themselves. When the NEA endorses exhibits by Robert Mapplethorpe, which rest on the thin line between art and pornography, they are just asking for trouble. From what I have read and researched it seems that the majority of the funding by the NEA is still supporting the highest achievements in our civilization, and it would be a tragedy for our country and our culture if that support (by the NEA) were to be lost because of a few obtuse decisions and a dedication in some quarters to outmoded and even pernicious ideas. (Hilton Kramer) If we were to cut all funding to the NEA we would impact society in a frightening way. The arts enrich our lives and communities, create jobs, and revitalize down towns which attract new businesses, celebrate and preserve our rich diverse culture and heritage, and promote freedom of expression. The arts are essential.

Research essay sample on Freedom Of Expression Forms Of Art