L.Wallace
Essay: Why the arts and humanities are important
The arts and humanities include disciplines such as history, design, religion, law, archaeology, English literature, modern languages and “those aspects of the social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods.” (Bennett, 1984).
The arts and humanities are important in our world, as they can contribute to boosting a country’s economy, they can help humans to learn from past mistakes and to progress, and they can enrich people’s lives. “Research into these subjects is an investment that generates wealth, improves public policy and helps to maintain quality of life.” (Arts and Research Council, 2009, p. 2).
Research in the arts and humanities is necessary if humans wish to expand their knowledge on all aspects relating to human experience and make sense of today’s world. With the many challenges that we face in today’s world, governments and organisations may need to think outside the square to come up with solutions to boost the economy, progress and help citizens to live a meaningful life. “Meeting these challenges requires innovative and creative ways of thinking and processes of knowledge generation, transfer and exchange that are distinctive of the arts and humanities.” (Arts and Research Council, 2009, p. 1).
Placing importance on the arts and humanities helps to boost economic growth through such industries as tourism. Archaeology, for example, is a major aspect in the tourism industry. Archaeological sites around the world have been transformed into national tourist attractions and smaller items such as archaeological artefacts are displayed in museums. These attract both local and overseas tourists who not only pay entrance fees to the museums and historical sites, but they spend money on such things as accommodation, dining, and transport. In turn, this generates income and helps to encourage economic growth. Focusing on Britain for example, tourism is now one of its biggest industries. “Archaeological research into important Neolithic sites in Britain over many years has brought them into great public prominence and helped to enrich our sense of national identity and also to foster tourism.” (Arts and Research Council, 2009, p. 21).
The Term Paper on Art in the Modern World
Modern art refers to artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era.[1] The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of experimentation.[2] Modern artists experimented with new ways of seeing and with fresh ideas about ...
The Avebury site in Britain, for example, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has just been named second best heritage site in the world, thus attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world every year. According to a recent survey undertaken by Deloitte, “tourism was worth £115.4bn to the UK economy in 2009 once the direct and indirect impacts are taken into account, equivalent to 8.9% of UK Gross Domestic Product.” (Visit Britain, 2013).
The Deloitte study also mentioned that these figures were likely to remain similar in 2020. Tourism also creates many job opportunities. Currently one in every twelve jobs in Britain is linked directly or indirectly to tourism. According to the study, “the number of jobs that tourism supports is forecast to increase by 250,000 between 2010 and 2020, from 2.645 million to 2.899 million.” (Visit Britain, 2013).
Not only are tourists visiting archaeological sites, they are also visiting castles, historic houses, religious buildings, monuments, museums and art galleries. Many of the most popular tourist attractions in the world are connected to the arts and humanities. With the large numbers of people visiting these attractions, income from tourism is high. This highlights the importance of the arts and humanities and the positive effect that it can have on economic growth.
The Essay on Art Crimes Graffiti People Street
Struggling through poor articulation, here's an attempt to argue against the dominant view of society on the subject of street vandalism -- which I like to call habitat re-decoration -- expressed nicely by an anonymous conservative web-site: Graffiti is a crime. Graffiti is vandalism. Graffiti is not art. The same web-site went on to say that graffiti damages surfaces to the point of permanently ...
The arts and humanities also help humans to understand how things were done in the past so that we can learn from past mistakes and find better ways to do things. Historical research into the arts and humanities explores historical buildings, archaeological sites, artworks, texts and artefacts to give us an insight into how people have lived in the past. It discloses how societies have operated in a legal and political sense. “Research in these areas also identifies the spiritual, religious, moral, ethical and legal bases of human thought and behaviour.” (Arts and Research Council, 2009, p. 61).
Arts and humanities research accomplishes this through challenging, questioning and uncovering the complexities of human existence. Slavery is one area that has played an important role in shaping the social, economic and political aspects of society in Britain and as the Arts and Research Council (2009, p. 18) points out, “unless we understand the empire and its history (including the slave-trade) we cannot understand big issues like multicultural Britain, the troubles in the Middle East and globalisation”. Britain’s Department for Children, Schools and Families has recognised the importance of studying the history of slavery as it has recently been made a compulsory part of the school curriculum for 11 to 14 year olds in all schools throughout Britain. As the BBC’s Kurt Barling (2008) states, “our young people can hopefully learn that the history of British slavery has many lessons to teach us.” (Barling, 2008).
Britain’s slave trade was abolished in 1807 and up until then, slaves were used to transport and dispatch cargo such as sugar, cotton, tobacco and rum while British investors profited from the dispatch of slave ships to Africa. The cotton imports led to the industrial revolution with the building of large factories and mills. Investors in London started to buy insurance in the emerging shipping insurance market and to this day, London is internationally renowned in the insurance industry. The slave trade launched Britain to global dominance for a long period of time. The subject of slavery can teach humans about what they should place value on, how people of all ethnicities should be treated equally and how we can rectify horrific national mistakes. Kurt Barling (2008) states, “we in Britain may have to look back in shame on how we achieved some of our greatness but surely we can also take pride that it was eventually our own people who forced the pace of change.” (Barling, 2008).
The Research paper on American Literature People Learn Life
American Literature American Literature: American Literature Essay, Research Paper American Literature: Its importance on Society and Our Lives The most influential invention of the history of mankind is that of the printing press. With its invention, people were awaking to the world around them. The printing press enabled people to learn of events in other parts of the world in the comfort of ...
By recognising the effects that the slave trade had in the past, humans can learn from this mistake, work towards redemption and progress towards a more just society, therefore proving the importance of the arts and humanities.
The arts and humanities are also important because they enrich people’s lives. “They contribute to our quality of life because, once our basic subsistence needs have been satisfied, they encompass those things that make life worth living.” (Arts and Research Council, 2009, p. 2).
The disciplines of the arts and humanities affect every person in some way. This could be in the form of visiting a museum, historic home or art gallery, attending a concert or play, listening to music, reading a book or simply having a piece of art displayed in one’s house. All of these enhance people’s lives by igniting their imaginations, by providing an emotional or creative outlet, by helping people to feel that they belong and by helping to define themselves. In basic terms, they make people feel happy. It is the disciplines of arts and humanities such as music, literature, languages and visual art that people choose to make a part of their lives in order to make their lives more fulfilling. As the Arts and Research Council (2009, p. 5) points out, “as Western societies have got richer, their people have become no happier … On average people are no happier today than people
were fifty years ago. Yet at the same time average incomes have more than doubled. If we want people to be happier, we really have to know what conditions generate happiness and how to cultivate them.” In an address to students at the Pittsburgh Creative & Performing Arts School and also spouses of international leaders deliberating at the G-20 economic summit, First Lady, Michelle Obama, spoke about the importance of encompassing the arts in our lives. Whether arts are our profession, our hobby or we are simply an appreciative observer, she emphasised that everybody should feel that they have a place in museums, theatres, concert halls and the likes. In her speech she also said, “we believe strongly that the arts aren’t somehow an ‘extra’ part of our national life, but instead we feel that the arts are at the heart of our national life.” (Obama, 2009).
The Research paper on Assisted Suicide People Life One
Conflict in America Euthanasia, also known as assisted suicide is a growing conflict in America and the world. Many people turn to it because they feel it is a way to gain control over their life, or put an end to it. They want to terminate the pain and suffering. They do not want to become a burden to their family and / or society. They need an environment that will make them feel wanted and ...
To imagine a life without the arts and humanities is somewhat depressing. The arts and humanities disciplines are necessary for our wellbeing and quality of life. “For beyond a certain level necessary to guarantee material wellbeing (financial stability and health), income and even level of education have no significant influence on happiness, on health and even on survival.” (Arts and Research Council, 2009, p. 5).
It is through the arts and humanities such as literature, art and performance that artists challenge us to think differently and inspire us. Our lives are enriched when we allow the arts and humanities to touch them.
In conclusion, the arts and humanities hold great significance and importance in our world, as they can contribute to boosting a country’s economy, through such industries as tourism. Archaeological sites, museums, art galleries and concert venues around the world attract hundreds of thousands of tourists, who generate a significant amount of income, helping economic growth. The arts and humanities can also help humans to learn from past mistakes and to progress. Researching history and trying to make sense of how things were done in the past can help humans today to progress and find better ways of doing things. Researching the arts and humanities through historic buildings, archaeological sites, artworks and literature helps humans to expand their knowledge of how people lived in the past and to make sense of why things are the way they are in today’s world. It is through researching and understanding slavery in Britain that its citizens were able to understand how Britain came to be the country it is today, how it has moved on from slavery and how it has tried to rectify its past mistakes. Finally, the arts and humanities are important as they enrich people’s lives. Once our basic needs have been met, the arts and humanities add substance and enjoyment to our lives.
Us History World War II Research Paper
Technology played a key role in determining the outcome of World War II. The high military demand for more advanced technology acted as a catalyst for the development of technology in the interwar years of the 1920’s and 1930’s. Scientists and Engineers alike poured massive amounts of research and development time into supporting the war effort, and more advanced technology was developed at an ...
They make us happy and give us a reason for living. Every person is affected by the arts and humanities whether it’s in the form of the music they listen to, the art they admire, the books they read or the places they visit. All of these disciplines ignite people’s imaginations, provide an emotional or creative outlet, help people to feel a sense of belonging and help people to define whom they are. With the challenges that the world faces today, thinking outside the square is needed in order to find solutions to these challenges. Innovative and creative thinking is needed, which is distinctive of the arts and humanities. The arts and humanities tells us of how our own and other civilisations have questioned such things as what justice is, what deserves to be loved and defended and why civilisations succeed or not. “As a result of the ways in which these questions have been answered, civilizations have emerged, nations have developed, wars have been fought, and people have lived contentedly or miserably.” Bennett, William J. (1984).
Reference List
Arts and Research Council. (2009).
Leading the world: the economic impact of UK
arts and humanities research. http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/News-and-Events/Publications/Documents/Leading-the-World.pdf
Barling, K. (2008).
What we can learn from slavery. Retrieved June 5, 2013, from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2008/09/02/kurt_slaveryschools_feature.shtml
Bennett, William J. (1984).
To reclaim a legacy. National Endowment for the
Humanities. http://www.higher-ed.org/resources/legacy.htm
Obama, M. (2009).
Michelle Obama tells international audience why the arts matter.
Transcript issued by the White House from a speech at the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School. Retrieved June 5, 2013, from http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/09/michelle-obama-tells-international-audience-in-pittsburgh-why-arts-matter-to-her.html
Visit Britain (2013).
The big picture. Retrieved June 5, 2013, from
http://www.visitbritain.org/insightsandstatistics/visitoreconomyfacts/
The Essay on Arts And Humanities Art Human People
Arts and Humanities in a Changing World What are arts and humanities? Simply stated, they distinguish us as human beings from the rest of beasts. The human race alone has been molded and shaped throughout centuries by looking at the intriguing things around them, or the beautiful concepts inside of them and expressing them in the form in a piece of art. But how do they really affect our daily ...
Bibliography
Motion, A. (2011).
The Bonfire of the Humanities: Why the Humanities Matter.
Romanes Lecture. Lecture conducted from Oxford University, UK. http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/university_year/the_romanes_lecture/jun_2011_andrew_motion/romanes_june11.html
Salkeld, L. (2013).
Avebury’s stone monument names second best heritage sight.
Retrieved June 5, 2013, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2265688/Aveburys-stone-monument-named-worlds-second-best-heritage-site–beating-Taj-Mahal-ancient-Pyramids.html
