Colleagues:

I have been asked to sit on a public forum here at the university, the topic of
which is Civil
Society & the Arts. I am to address what happens to a society when support
for the Arts is removed
in favour of, say, athletics or the military.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback you might have on this topic. I am
looking for source
material, historical precedent, and a variety of approaches that might work
here. I want to broaden
my own scope beyond the notion of patronage for this event, which is sponsored
by the Northern Great
Plains Ethics Institute.

The panelists will be addressing what the arts have to offer society, how they
"civilize" us, and
whether or not there is any historical precedent. There will be one panelist
playing Devil's
Advocate and one who firmly believes that public monies and education should
lean in the direction
of hard science, athletics, and the military.

Thanks, and both the editor and I would appreciate it if you would reply
on-list.

Kris Groberg, Ph.D.
Dept. of Visual Arts 324D
Division of Fine Arts
North Dakota State University
PO Box 5691 University Station
Fargo, ND 58105-5691
701.231-8359
<Kristi.Grobergndsu.edu>