IS ART WORTHLESS?

What is the value of art? Do we measure it by the inch, say seven-fifty per inch plus matt and frame? Would by the pound be better? Japan was closed to the rest of the world until a U.S. Navy ship sailed into the harbour at Yokohama and Admiral Perry signed an agreement of trade. Japan eventually realized that, if they did not enter the modern world it would eventually overtake and consume them. A nation that had never been invaded or conquered in modern times was still a medieval empire that otherwise could have easily been conquered and made into a colony of European industrial power. What were the sought after goods of trade in Japan? Silk was one and pottery was another. The high standards of craftsmanship and manufacture was a very much sought after commodity.
The colour woodblock print was not considered a high art form in Japan. It was a throwaway like a comic book or a newspaper. Such prints were used as wrapping paper. That “wrapping paper” fell into the hands of western collectors. When unwrapping a teapot they found the wrapping paper far more interesting than the pot. These prints, meant to be discarded, fell into the hands of well-known European artists. The American expatriate James McNeil Whistler and a long list of others, influenced by these accidental imports, changed art history. Today those same woodblock prints are valued at the least sixty thousand dollars and at the other end as much as eight-hundred thousand dollars in Paris, New York, London or Toronto. I do not have to tell you what the monetary value of a painting by Vincent Van Gogh is on the world market. Where do you think he got his ideas? From the same wrapping paper that I told you about. Think of how something considered worthless eventually makes a great contribution to the economy of many nations.
What does all this have to do with Prince Edward Island? Think about how a certain book found its way to Japan and influenced the tourist industry here. Think of the attitude that prevails here toward the arts. As an art teacher, at the bottom end of society here, as human resources, the artist and craftspeople on this island are treated as a burden on society. Like many others in the arts here we struggle and scrape to get by. There is no art school and with very few exceptions, no art education opportunities. The schools seem to want all the students to become accountants or real estate salespeople. Contrast that with the island of Japans’ high standards of art education, Where the most valued of its artists and craftspeople can be honoured by becoming a national treasure.
The people in power here often measure their values by coin, paper and plastic in the pocket. We may eventually find that capitalist values, based on supply and demand, don’t work on one level. My father was a fisherman when the price of fish was so low that it was not worth the expense of taking them to market. Fish were so plentiful that they were used as fertilizer. This summer, I can’t take my children for some recreational cod fishing because they are not so plentiful now. So, what is the value of a fish when they are all gone?
What is the value of mental health? What does it cost to deal with addiction to alcohol, drugs and gambling? What is the cost of violence and general unhappiness? I was talking to an artist recently who had to face a very traumatic experience where a family member had killed himself. It occurred to me that the beautiful art she produced had much to do with her ability to cope with that situation. What recourse does someone without art in their life have? Would she have ended up institutionalized? What would be the cost of that to society --- not just in monetary terms? A lot has to do with how we look at things.
Consider how the arts contribute to the community and yet very little encouragement exists. Every other industry on the island is given a little help here and there. Think of how HRDC contributes to the fishing industry and other “seasonal” jobs. I am going to make several suggestions here that I hope may merit some attention.