The Purpose and Value of Art in 2023
-
Loading... - Hanna Lang
- 01 Mar 2023
- 69 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Even though the future of the economy remains uncertain, that shouldn't scare off artists from experimenting and branching out. It's exactly this type of approach that will make an artist more likely to succeed in unstable times, not less.
NEAR THE BEGINNING of the pandemic, the Brookings Institution estimated that the creative industry was on track to suffer a loss in sales of over $150 billion in the United States alone, with the performing and fine arts sectors being hit the hardest. Certainly, looking back, there’s no question that the pandemic hit the art community hard.
UNESCO estimates that 10 million jobs were lost worldwide in the culture and creativity sectors in 2020 alone. Disabled and BIPOC artists, in particular, suffered the most, seeing the highest rates of unemployment in the arts sector.
While these numbers don’t paint a pretty picture, they also don’t tell the whole story. As an entrepreneur working in the arts and events space, I’ve been watching how the art world has responded to the obstacles and setbacks of the pandemic. With galleries closed and in-person art shows on hold, artists did what they do best — they got creative.
Many took the free time they had been forcibly given and dedicated it to projects they’d been putting off. Many more began to explore, in earnest, the opportunities waiting for them in the online space. Web publishing and streaming, as well as emerging technologies such as NFTs and the metaverse, provided ways for artists to expand their reach and experiment with new forms. During the height of the pandemic, it even seemed like some artists were ready to turn their back on the real world altogether and embrace NFTs as their new future. Read More…
