Art and money - incompatible things?

There is  a prejudice that artists, people though creative, are not accustomed to discipline. They would just grab something from the public treasury and spend it on implementing their more or less understandable ideas. There is another prejudice, according to which private  culture  funding  should be avoided. This is because culture will then depend on fundings and artistic freedom will be out of the question.

 

These prejudices are still alive, though, it is true that someone is trying carefully to debunk them. Ten years of time in office of right-wing have left their mark. It partly influenced the society’s mind-set, partly reflected in concrete action. Thus, a resonable decision of a former minister of culture and member of the Conservitive Party Brian Mikkelsen to use taxes to attaract investements in the art can be considered as one of them.

But it is too early to rest on our laurels. Now, when the ”red block” has replaced the ”blue” in power, it is crucial that cultural and economic life will never be percieved as mutually exclusive concepts. As in the cultural sphere there is something from the business, there is something from creativity in the private sector as well. And it is rather pleasant that already at this stage the art and culture are regarded to a lesser degree as something which,by definition, required taxpayers money to operate.

Culture and the private sector of economy have something to learn from each other. So it is no surprise that the growing share of income in cultural sphere comes from privat sector and foundations. Employees of such major institutions as the National Museum (Copenhagen) and the museum ARoS (Aarhus), openly attend special courses to keep abreast of preferences that foundation’s shareholders and private entrepreneurs have, when it comes to sponsorship and financial support. It is a good initiative. The possibility of sponsorship is no longer denied and not considered as a necessary evil.

Meanwhile, the private sector is mastering cultural sphere. Today more and more companies are not averse to take something new from it. That, however, is not surprising. One of the culture´s values is exactly the ability to give and to create impressions. In addtion, experts belive that it can teach to work as a team and under the tight deadlines. Predjudice that artistis are extremely disorganized people exists to this day, but does not stand up the scrutiny. On the contrary, artists often cannot ask for more discipline. And sometimes, their discipline is even better developed, then entreprenuere's .

The fact that the growing cooperation between the private sector and the culture is beneficial for both parts does not abolish the need for public subsidies. Denmark should continue to ensure the flow of funds in the most important spheres of culture, the ones that cannot cope with the market environment alone. If you combine this with a creative approach, which presupposes more market and less state in the country’s cultural life; and also with the stress on generality, such a proposal will be accepted with open arms. Both as in economic and cultural life and in the society at large. Without any prejudices.

 

 

Original text: Berlingske Media