Great book. Super informative. Highly recommend to anyone interested in benefits of engaging with the arts.

As a novice artist and academic myself, I have always considered the importance of art in society and the individual; this book fell into my lap.

In summary, this is a collection of essays by people in the field spanning different facets of art and cultural integration. Art, many have realized, is everywhere, in our culture and history and rebellions, and this is told reverently in these essays.

Not all essays one would be interested in but the ones that interest you would surely stick with you. I already know that there is information as an academic that they bring forth, but others I don't, such as the inaccessibility of art to more rural, conservative areas (I never thought of that) or how New York has flourished and thrived under its art and culture. It truly is a packaged love letter.

Not everyone would be interested in this work, but it is a fascinating read that makes you understand the intersection of art and life.

The Arts are without a doubt an absolute daily essential in life and I loved reading the thoughts from scholars, thinkers, writers, professors in this book to dive deeper into fresh new perspectives and thought processes. Over the last couple of years, I've yearned to to glean knowledge from scientists, epidemiologists, physicians... but it never lessened my thirst for my love of the arts. Instead, during this transitional time, I've actually learned more about many gifted artists I never previously knew anything about. And that, in itself, is priceless.

Are the Arts Essential ? -is a timely publication that documents the importance of arts through essays and interviews of experts as well as of artists. Organized and composed during the onset of the pandemic, this book serves as a useful record of conversations and opinions on the essential nature of art to humanity.
I like many others turned to art and literature as a medium to get me through the worldwide government-imposed lockdown. Outside of our homes, theatres, opera houses, museums and galleries were faced with a funding crisis as these public spaces could no longer operate at pre-pandemic levels.
The book also features important sections on the Black Lives Matter protest and movement.
I particularly liked how the book was organized in 5 sections;
Part I: Strengthening Society.
Part II: Benefiting the Individual
Part III: Finding and Fostering Community
Part IV: Engaging the Sciences
Part V: Recording and Sharing our Histories
This book is US-centric and will interest anyone who wishes to read how cultural practitioners experienced the effects of the pandemic on their industry.

Are the Arts Essential? is a collection of expository essays edited and curated by Dr. Alberta Arthurs and Mr. Michael DiNiscia. Due out 22nd Feb 2022 from The NYU Press, it's 344 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

The titular question is (obviously) rhetorical. Over the history of humanity, nearly every crisis, every celebration, every milestone, every momentous occasion has been marked by some kind of artistic expression. When the latest pandemic struck and we were all forced to live on our small islands, we turned to arts and the creative folks who share themselves through their various media to keep us sane and to take us out of ourselves and to keep us safe, if only for a little while. We binge watched TV and films, we read and listened to music at levels never before experienced. We invented new ways to be together when we couldn't physically be near. We knitted and painted, sculpted, wrote, sang, and used creativity to bolster our mental and physical well-being.

This book is a collection of ruminations from eminent scholars and professionals. There are professors of art and ethics, music history, PBS correspondents, museum directors, musicians, composers, visual artists, and others gathered here. I was surprised at how accessible most of the essays were, given that academics sometimes (rightfully) get bad press for being inscrutable and, well, incomprehensible. The essays are gathered thematically into five main sections: how the arts strengthen society, how the arts help individuals, how they create community, how they engage and support the sciences, and how they document history and support truth.

These are not all easy to read or particularly accessible. Some of them had no immediate relevance to me and I confess, I read them somewhat dutifully. A number of them, however, interested me, and made me very glad for my access to the libraries and museums (increasingly widely represented in online accessible collections) and the creativity and generosity of the folks making art and sharing it with their fellow humans.

This is a niche book, and will largely fall into the hands of the relative few who already have a vital vested interest in the performing or visual arts, or allied academic fields. It should be required reading for lawmakers and representatives, for the important people holding the purse strings and the local boards-of-education who are making the decisions about art and dance and writing education in schools. That's a shame.

Five stars. Important ideas presented well herein. This would make a good selection for library acquisition, for folks interested in the arts, as well as nonfiction fans.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I found myself pondering the question myself many times in life. The arts have been labelled a waste of time in school or by my parents because it isn't something I can earn a living on. Atleast , that is what they thought.
What confuses even. more is how art os evaluated or assigned value. I could never wrap my head around why something that doesn't appeal to me costs millions but something kitschy and cute would sell for a few dollars.

The pandemic changed the way I perceived art. I no longer see it as something to be passively consumed.
The making of art is in itself very intriguing. The book talks in depth about how art brings certain things more to the forefront and galvanises action. How it can be used to depict injustices and gives dignity to those who are deprived of it in the current setting.

I love the structure of the book. The style of writing in all the essays is very coherent and the organisation of the essays encourages logical reasoning.