Accessible Art is Awesome

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The latest lecture in my social issues in france culture class was on the government funding of arts in France. Overall I was impressed with their system - it seems to work really well to make the arts affordable and available to everyone who wants to see them. I am personally a fan of the arts (studio art, dance, theatre, opera, orchestra, music, visual arts, etc) so I really envy French people who have a system that makes it very easy and cheap for them to see all of this. I think that art gives you so much more than just pretty things (especially if you participate in some form of creation of art) and so it is really a shame that so few people in America get to experience art on a regular and varied basis. Going to the theatre, opera, ballet, etc is really just an upper-class thing. That leaves out so many people! And it is also a great way to experience something from a different culture in the comfort of your own - art is so international and accepted everywhere, yet it can tell us so much about where a person is from and how they view the world. All forms of art are really just an expression of that person’s point of view/perspectives, which can be a really interesting study of cultures!

So far in France I have seen a ballet, movies, several art museums, contemporary art exhibits, and I am going to see a play in the near future. That is way more that I do in two years typically, let alone during ¾ of a semester!! Part of that is thanks to IAU, but in general the arts here are much more accessible to young people..and it is much more common here (I believe) for young people to go to the theatre, ballet, etc. Back home it is just contemporary music concerts for the most part -very few of my friends express interest in the ballet, theatre, opera, orchestra, etc. That is one thing I think young French people have above us.

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