LUNA, Irish Mae P.

Arts 1- Class E3

We have many celebrities turned visual artists in the Philippines, among them are Richard
Gomez, Heart Evangelista, and Solenn Heussaff. Most of their works have been exhibited in
popular and elite museums like the Ayala Museum. Meanwhile, non-celebrity artists struggle to put
their work out and earn their place in such a competitive field. What institutions or systems have
helped celebrities gain instant success as visual artists? How does this describe the current state of
our country's art industry?

Patronage is critical to the art world's success and reputation, as well as the success and
celebrity of its artists. It is seen as critical in assisting those in need of financial aid. The perception
of patronage as an overpowering impediment to creativity stems from an antiquated perspective of
how things were during the Renaissance. While artists were aided, they were more akin to
contractors who were hired for a specific project, given clear instructions, and then left to their own
devices once the job was over. Patronage is still very much alive today, but it has evolved into a
new way of supporting artists. There are two categories of artists in my opinion. First, those artists
who urgently require financial assistance but lack support from any patron because they are from
the lower socioeconomic strata of our society; second, those artists who do not seek assistance in
publicizing their work because they have cultural capital that can provide them with all of the
resources they require. Is it true that modern-day patronage aids and encourages artists from all
cultures to express themselves via art, or is it the opposite?

Celebrities, strange as it may seem, are members of the social elite strata whose
environment is characterized by the exploitation of their fame, which is converted into large
monetary salaries, posts, connections, and other perks. This milieu sets them apart from the vast
majority of folks who have the same artistic abilities and talent. The rate at which a person's
characteristics (e.g., sanctity, luck, talent, intellect, beauty) are valued by the society; the inclusion
of notoriety and a high level of prestige in certain socioeconomic classes and places; and the formal
or informal involvement of a person into a higher group as compared to a lower group are all cases
of discrimination. Discrimination from the majority of professional or social groups may improve a
person's social traits and offer her or him with greater benefits in compared to an average person in
a group with similar qualities. In modern culture, a great artist's wages and reputation differ from that
of an unknown artist, much as a peasant differs from a noble or an ordinary nobleman from a lord.

In the realm of cultural production and reproduction, the notion that pure genius and quality
contribute to artistic achievement has persisted. Because it has traditionally been linked to
individuals'" and "unique creators," the arts, in particular, pose a daunting challenge for the
evaluation of social class and other systemic issues. This idea of customized labor and art
commodification has often been named as one of the core reasons that makes inequality in the
arts so pervasive. Addressing the artistic and creative sectors is a difficult task. This problem has
also been discussed in terms of the pervasive "talent ideology" in the arts, which easily overlooks
structural issues of inequality. Taking risks, both financial and artistic, can be considered as a
requirement for any form of creative effort. It has been claimed that the ability to not only enter, but
also to remain in these risky positions is largely the privilege of those who have enough of the right
kinds of capital to balance those risks – not just in terms of financial resources, but also in terms of
cultural, social, and symbolic capital. This deficit was acutely felt by people who lacked sufficient
levels of authentic cultural wealth. In this regard, class and class-related activities are tied to how
various types of capital are embodied in the habitus: they do not function merely as detachable
resources possessed by an individual, which may be used whenever it is convenient.
LUNA, Irish Mae P.
Arts 1- Class E3

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Duncan, H. D. (1957). Sociology of Art, Literature and Music: Social Contexts of Symbolic
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Mills, C. W. (2000). The Power Elite. New York: Oxford University Press.