Arts matter
Humanities subjects are under threat in the UK as universities feel the pinch financially. Canterbury Christ Church University will no longer offer English Literature, while Goldsmiths is cutting back on some modules and Oxford Brookes is reducing staff in anthropology, history, film and English.
I’m an arts student and I went to an arts only university. Going for a job interview once, I was asked what the point of my history degree was.
Now, more than ever, we need arts and humanities. In a polarised world of ‘this’ or ‘that’, ‘us’ and ‘them’, arts and humanities are vital to society.
Arts and humanities give us the opportunity to learn from others – past and present
They enable us to empathise and see situations from different perspectives – a key soft skill for leaders and anyone working in a team
We’re able to do research and critically assess different sources – an essential skill in a world of online and mass media
They develop our communication skills – much needed for explaining what is happening and why it matters
Governments like science and technology because they have nice ‘right’ answers and quantifiable results. But that doesn’t mean there’s no ROI from arts and humanities. According to Arts Council England, arts and culture contributes £10.8 billion a year to the UK economy.
The benefits are not just financial. Arts and humanities allow us to express ourselves, to make sense of the world around us, and they help us innovate – creating connections between different ideas.
They give us space to think – often overlooked as we rush to find solutions and prioritise productivity over whether a course of action will benefit us collectively and individually.
And they bring joy, whether you like reading, going to art galleries, seeing plays, or films, or you like geeking out about ancient languages.
It’s easy to axe something that seems ‘soft’ or obscure but the cost of doing so means going back to the dark ages and losing all that human thought and experience. At best, life is less rich, less bright, and at worst, we lose sight of what connects us and make the world a more dangerous place.
What gives me hope is that art and artists have incredible perseverance. Art has survived throughout the very worst of history, perhaps because it’s not just something we do, it’s who we are. It survives us.
What gives me hope is that art and artists have incredible perseverance. Art has survived throughout the very worst of history, perhaps because it’s not just something we do, it’s who we are. It survives us.