What are they being taught, or more correctly brain-washed to be.
Daffy Duck,
To become non-thinking consumers !

It is correct for schools to have programs introducing students to art and music because some students may have particular aptitudes in such subjects. But what this author seems to be implying is the old Socialist idea, that the state should pay artists of every stripe to manufacture rubbish that nobody is going to purchase.

Since the dawn of civilisation, artists were in the control of the clergy, the rulers, and the wealthy elite. The wealthy used artists for decoration. The clergy, to further the glory of their particular God and awe the masses. And the rulers, to glorify their triumphs and defame their enemies. During these times, art subjects and artistic styles was often rigorously determined by the people in power. But by the 19th century, with rising prosperity and the desire for individual freedom, artists began to create new styles of depicted art which differed greatly from either photographic style scenes, or rigidly set out artistic scenes demanded by the church and state.

That some of this art (cubism, impressionism, and dadaism) was absolutely woeful did not detract from it's popularity with some of the more wealthy patrons, who were probably more intersted in investment, through the artists potential for fame after he or she had "discovered" some new way of throwing paint at a canvas.

But so much of contemporary art is so bad that nobody in their right minds will buy it. Of course, the art critics do their best to interest wealthy patrons into purchasing this garbage by claiming it is valuable and investable, in the same way as diamond merchants De Beers convinces consumers that little pieces of rock crystal is actually worth a lot of money.

But the bottom line is that a lot of contemporary art is so woeful it is unsellable. Enter the socialists who become the friends of worthless artists by telling them that the taxpayers will pay them to create their unsellable crap. Thus artists become converts to socialism. Which is pretty funny, really, since socialist states usually insist upon artists toeing the party line on subject and style

LEGO,
I recall quite a number of years ago when a new Qld State Govt facility bought some $20,000 or thereabouts of paintings to hang in the corridors. I was told it is standard for Govt buildings to support Art in that way.
No-one in management however, could tell me how that money is helping the Arts here in Australia when it was purchased from an American who did not reside here.
I tried to find out more but all doors & ears of bureaucrats closed on me.
Also, all plants came from a Nursery in the South & all plants were native to our area.

My 3 kids, of about equal ability, all went to the same schools. High school was a large 1700 pupil regional school.

Two of then slogged through 3 math, A B & C, plus physics. Both had to work hard, although the math & physics were of a much lower standard then the in the 50s in NSW when I was doing it. It was a struggle as only one teacher in the entire school could actually handle math 3, & he as a union rep, was away much of the time.

One has not used it, as they changed their life plan, the other has used it seriously, & both are glad they learnt as much as they did, & find their physics useful in real life.

The third, having observed their older siblings working hard, floated through school, taking all the easy subjects available, arts, media studies, English literature etc. She often finds her knowledge of simple things a bit short, & will phone one of us for information.

She finds her prospects reduced by her lack of math & physics, needs to study to gain what she missed & now needs. She finds it hard with a 3 year old at foot. For this reason we have the 3 year old about one weekend in 2. She is a great kid, but it sure shatters the peace & quiet of country living.

I believe the study of arty crafty feather weight stuff is best confined to private activity. School needs to be grabbed by the throat, & wrung dry of everything it offers, by each kid, as most wont get another chance to gain as much knowledge again.

To individual.

The NSW Museaum of contemporary Art was once housed in a western Sydney suburb where nobody ever bothered to enter the building to see the displayed contemporary "art." This changed when a prime building became available at Circular Quay, and the arty farty types clamored for the NSW government to purchase this building.

Naturally, the NSW government of the day bought the 'art vote" by doing what the arts lobby wanted, and it purchased the building. It now gets a lot of visitors because the location is so prime that you could sell ice to eskimoes there. Although it is not known if any of the passing patrons think enough of the 'art" to ever buy the stuff.

According to a "Daily Telegraph" newspaper reporter who did an article on contemporary art, the NSW government has bought so much woeful contemporary 'art" to get the "arts vote", that there is literally warehouses full of the wretched stuff.

Your taxes at work. Isn't socialism grand?

Onya ttbn.

Long may it (Arts) live!
diver dan,
And, may it start to wean itself off the Taxpayer teat & start to support itself through merit from now on !
Sort of like most other people !