Americans for the Arts

To date, information about the economics of the visual arts in Canada has been sketchy and sporadically assembled. Little is known about the structure, mechanics and performance of that market and consequently it is difficult to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of government programs for the visual arts.

The subject of the present study is the community of artists and artisans who were either masters in the Guild of St. Lucas in Delft or were employed as apprentices or journeymen by these masters in the 17th century.

The purpose of this paper is to examine what religion means to the Japanese in their economic activities. Japanese religion, because of its this-worldly orientation, contains many useful clues to the understanding of this question. (p. 75)

The authors offer preliminary report to test whether the historical phenomenon of production costs holds at present. In the past performance costs increased faster than the economy, with the notable exceptions of times of high inflation. The authors examine orchestral performance. Their overall conclusion in this article is that the arts have fared better in terms of support and earned income than might have been feared.

The authors examine the strained economic circumstances which beset performing companies and whether they are attributable mainly to fortuitous historical circumstances, to mismanagement, or whether the relation is fundamental in the economic order. They conclude that the lag between increase in costs and prices leads to an ever growing reliance on outside sources of support. They anticipate that private funding sources will reach their limit and new sources will have to be found.

The authors examine the market for toy soldiers as a collectible item.

The author, Virginia Lee Owen, responds to Roger A. McCain's article on Florentine and Sienese Renaissance. The McCain model is rigorous and insightful. Unfortunately, it possesses some technical errors and does not conform to historical observation. (p. 55)

The author replies to F.F. Ridley's article Cultural Economics and the Culture of Economists.

The author of this Information Bulletin attempts to address a question of primary importance to the local practitioner. Do investments in the arts, which may be meritorious in their own right, pay off in economic development terms? The bulletin distinguishes between the arts as an industry which may or may not bring new dollars into the community, and investments in arts activities and facilities as tools for promoting specific community revitalization objectives. An entire section of the bulletin is devoted to community revitalization uses of the arts. (from executive summary) In addition,

The author examines the role of artistic creations as an additional source of information of economic change in nineteenth century England.

The author examines the material circumstances under which artists and artisans earned their living during the Renaissance and in Dutch 17th century art.

The author examines how policy can reduce consumer consumption which would reduce resource costs, but without reducing consumer satisfaction. The author applies this to the performing arts.

The author elaborates on four propositions presented in this paper:

The author discusses the concepts of goods and services as they relate to the field of cultural economics.

The author comments on the article by Virginia Lee Owen. To one prepared to accept the importance of market structure in determining the quality and nature of artistic work, the paper by Virginia Lee Owen is thought-provoking, a constructive delightful, but at a theoretical level, something of a disappointment. These comments will propose an alternative theoretical statement and interpretation. Despite the disagreement, Owen's perceptive observations and reflections deserve a major share of the credit for inspiring the theoretical analysis I shall propose. (p. 57)