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The Argument Of Arts And Culture

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Culture is part of our everyday life; it can be anything from sports, food, clothing or even lifestyle. On the onset, the support of arts and culture should not be limited to the cultural argument alone, as one cannot deny that arts and culture is important for the growth of society. Apart from the financial aspect of a society, arts and culture go a long way towards making the society more holistic.
With this in mind, the author will firstly examine the two different approaches to arts and culture; namely cultural arguments as opposed to the creative industries or economic arguments. Secondly, the author will discuss about why arts and culture should live on and be funded, without putting creative industries approach towards it.
Throughout …show more content…

With this approach, arts and culture is being used in many schools and institutions as a opening for inter-ethnic interaction where their students could use different ways of arts performance to showcase the traditional ethnic dances and display symptomatic of multiculturalism.
Second example would be the ‘Global City for the Arts’ project, this project happened after the 1985 economic recession, in hopes to form new industries with potential growth. Arts and culture was not only recognized as an ideological state, but also an attraction to attract more foreigners, investors and tourist in Singapore. The project aims to infuse the nation with large cultural and entertainment value so that the state can ensure that it can retain its own skilled Singaporeans, and at the same time, attract more skilled foreign labour. Young English-educated Singaporeans led the local theatre community and they managed to grow it fully by early 1990s. . In order to attract more viewers and allow room for creativity, these young people constantly push the boundaries of censorship. The industry is mainly supported by middle class Singaporeans whom are able to spend extra time and money to execute leisure activities and shows …show more content…

On the other hand, creative industry takes the view of economic boom of creative work such in any type of industry. “Creative industries were defined as those activities which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have the potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property” (DCMS, 1998) (Quoted from Ozga, Seddon, Popkewitz, 2006)
As Paul Keating suggests,
"This cultural policy is also an economic policy. Culture creates wealth. Broadly defined, our cultural industries generate 13 billion dollars a year. Culture [employs and] adds value; it makes an essential contribution to innovation, marketing and design. It is a badge of our industry. The level of our creativity substantially determines our ability to adapt to new economic imperatives. It is a valuable export in itself and an essential accompaniment to the export of other commodities. It attracts tourists and students. It is essential to our economic success." (Paul Keating,

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