Why is art and culture important in a society? Could you live without it?

The general value of arts and culture to society has long been assumed,

while the specifics have just as long been debated. Try to imagine

society without the humanising influence of the arts, and you will have

to strip out most of what is pleasurable in life, as well as much that is

educationally critical and socially essential.

When we talk about the value of arts and

culture, we should always start with the

intrinsic – how arts and culture illuminate

our inner lives and enrich our emotional

world. This is what we cherish.

Life without the collective resources of our libraries, museums,

theatres and galleries, or without the personal expression of literature,

music and art, would be static and sterile – no creative arguments

about the past, no diverse and stimulating present and no dreams of

the future.

We won’t solve this problem overnight;

such studies take time. But if we can work

together, we will in time articulate a new

language of cultural value that will help

all of us to understand better the essential

contribution that the arts make to our lives.

Driving the development of evidence and

research in understanding the impact arts and

culture plays on the wider society will be critical to

shaping and developing arguments in favour of

sustained public investment in arts and culture.

We need to be smarter about

making a more relevant case, more nuanced

and sophisticated.