I was recently having a chat with a fellow artist and we both shared a similar view that most people don’t put much value on art these days.
Two things in particular have contributed the demise and de-valuation of commercial art – the recession and the internet.
The recession has hit many businesses hard with budget cuts and funds for better creative has suffered. The internet, although it has exponentially increased resources and exposure for art and artists alike, has also reduced their value. Because people can go online and download services, they don’t want to pay fair price to a talented, qualified professional right in their own backyard.
The unwillingness to pay fairly for art is wide spread. The market simply is encouraged to demand cheap prices for the same quality of work that was readily paid for years ago. The “I can get it cheaper” thinking has been the norm for a while now and yes, you can get it cheaper. There is always going to be someone willing to give his or her talent away out there but where is the lasting value?
We have bought into the good life for nothing mentality but it seems to be focused on the arts. Creativity and artistic expression is subjective in many ways but if it is to be purchased and marketed then shouldn’t it be valued fairly?
Business and society really needs to start or re-start respecting the arts.
A society that does not respect art and culture is morally bankrupt and is doomed to be an empty machine that cranks out joyless, cogs that leave no legacy. The price society pays is a big one.
We need to re-evaluate the arts in our society because right now the value is too low.
yorkscene 
Tell me about it! Virtually every local show, I’ve had to lower my rates. Actually I find the local market ignorant to the styles of art in relation to the prices, and I don’t believe that businesses and governments support art as much as they profess to doing. ie. Toronto and Ottawa have repositories of art that were either bought or donated, and these are used in all civic buildings for the public to enjoy. This system doesn’t exist in York Region.
Art in all forms needs to be respected as a major player in the cultural heritage of our society and businesses and governments need to lead the way by encouraging the public and nurturing the artists.