In the United States there is a significantly higher chance that when the economy starts to fall, it is the arts that will be first to lose its funding. From a report by RAND Corporation as far back as 2004, with the intention of analyzing the five significant benefits gained by including the arts in schools and education as a whole, you read just at the surface of their preface the importance and relevance of arts education in schools. Still, despite years of research and articles ranging from NPR to the National Institutes of Health , the arts still sit at the top of the budget cut list.
Why are the arts so important to us as a society? From as far back as Ancient Greece we’ve heard poets and writers, actors and musicians. They make up the history that is being threatened on the daily. In Aldous Huxley’s award winning novel “Brave New World” one of the first things we learn about this futuristic universe is that children are conditioned to fear books, and later because that is because without them, it is much easier to convince people what to believe. Without art, without stories and history the human mind is much easier to convince or so Huxley argues.
Art gives humanity a voice that speaks for us when governments or even the press fail to provide one. It is an outlet for truth. Editorial Cartoonist Ann Telnaes is an example of this. Back in January of 2025 Telnaes resigned from her 17 years with the Washington Post in protest of biased censorship of a political cartoon. After her designation, Telnaes spoke in an article about the censorship, stating “there have been instances where sketches have been rejected or revisions requested, but never because of the point of view inherent in the cartoon’s commentary. That’s a game changer…and dangerous for a free press.” said Telnaes. Just 5 months later, Telnaes was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for her work.
Art is a voice, and can be used to fight back against oppression too. After President Trump personally appointed himself to the chair of the Kennedy Center Board, ‘Hamilton’ cancelled any future performances with the center. Whether you agree with the decision or not, it was a huge moment for the world of theater and theater arts. You don’t have to be important to make a statement, you just have to be loud enough.
How does all of this information apply to you? We are an arts school in the arts district of downtown LAs Vegas. It’s impossible not to have an opinion on art’s place in the world and in change. This past March, LVA was hit by its own sort of oppression; a 12% budget cut of 1.209 million dollars. It’s not just here in Las Vegas. About 55% of school districts have cut arts courses from schools. These programs rely on outside funding to function, and without them we are on a four way track to the world Huxley warned us about.
What can you do about it? Use that skill. Be artists. You can’t take away something that just keeps coming. If we stop creating out of fear that is playing into the hands of a world that doesn’t want to hear your voice. It doesn’t have to be political, or even be your greatest masterpiece. Just keep creating. It’s what the world needs right now.
