Garbage In, Garbage Out?

Thanks to Technology in the Arts for posting something on the Americans for the Arts video contest winners on 11/2/2010. All three videos features are well made, wonderful productions but it is hard to miss the fact that the message they deliver in response to the question “Why do the arts matter to you?” center mostly on the stereotypical talking points the field has been delivering for decades…

You certainly can’t find any fault with those who made the videos, all they did was reflect the message we’ve been beaming at them. So from that perspective, the videos are twice as valuable because they demonstrate that the field as a whole needs to seriously rethink the image we project.

Take a look at the three winners:

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Grand Prize Winner

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Over 18 Winner

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Under 18 Winner

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Now, take a moment to watch this video from Save the Arts, a UK based advocacy group. It is a perfect example of the direction we need to go and the sooner we can incorporate this into the image we project, the better.