Funding arts, humanities, and education

[kandrathe]

Quality is almost always balanced by the return of investment, because this is still show -business-.

Understood. To me, show business has its roots in spectacle, in vaudeville, in the circus. Criticism mostly has to do with the quality, or artistry. Quality and artistic expression are often exploited by show business. My concern is that when we aspire culturally for the artistic, we only end up with what's projected to be popular and profitable. In business, this would be expressed as the "acceptable quality" or tolerance, in that we need a reasonably priced product of good enough quality.

And... I'm not saying that Gravity lacks artistry. Just that I separate popularity from quality.

But you basically...just did. And that's your problem by the way, not mine. I have no qualms with acknowledging quality in a popular work.

No, really, it's a quality film. I'm still hoping to get a chance to see it in the theater. But, if not, then I'll certainly attempt to see it on the small screen.

A work that is popular doesn't diminish it's quality in my eyes.

Nor mine. All art is not entertainment, and vice versa. I can think of many in one that are totally lacking in the other. Some like, "Dr. Detroit", lack both, for which I wish there were such thing as a selective memory eraser.

Hollywood doesn't have that much power. If you think it does, then that might be your problem, not mine.
...

If you want to talk about critiquing paintings ... If there's anything else on topic I don't mind discussing them here.

I was generalizing to arts in general.

I do a little bronze sculpting. Many of the people I work (share casting facilities) with make their things, then go around to craft fairs, and have a small retail space and seem to be working on being popular to fund their craft hobby. It feels like they're changing their styles to find what is popular, rather than expressing themselves in the medium. I'm sure Shogu would say the same thing happens in the Music industry.

The funding of entertainment is a peeve of mine when comparing the $ devoted in our culture to something like playing football, or being an action star in blockbusters versus how artists in general are funded, or more important functions such as teacher. But, yes, I'm appreciative of your laser focus on Gravity alone. I'm encouraged by advent of Indie films, and Indie in general. The high cost of production of a movie like Gravity could be a compelling reason why it needed to be a studio affair.

Anyway, I thought this might be s discussion topic. There is also a looming change coming to higher education, where some "desirable" disciplines will get preferential federal aid.