Artless Dodgers

While free markets are better than any of the alternatives in most respects, they clearly have not benefited the arts and culture. Dana Gioia, the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, puts it this way:

But we must remember that the marketplace does only one thing--it puts a price on everything. The role of culture, however, must go beyond economics. It is not focused on the price of things, but on their value. And, above all, culture should tell us what is beyond price, including what does not belong in the marketplace. A culture should also provide some cogent view of the good life beyond mass accumulation. In this respect, our culture is failing us.

Read the rest here.