WHY THE ARTS ARE VALUABLE TO US ALL

Arts and culture boost local economies in five key ways:
  • attracting visitors
  • creating jobs and developing skills
  • attracting and retaining businesses
  • revitalizing places
  • and developing talent

In health and well-being, a number of studies have reported findings of applied arts and cultural interventions and measured their positive impact on specific health conditions which include dementia, depression and Parkinson’s disease. The use of art, when delivered effectively, has the power to facilitate social interaction as well as enabling those in receipt of social care to pursue creative interests. The review highlights the benefits of dance for reducing loneliness and alleviating depression and anxiety among people in social care environments.

In terms of effects on society, there is strong evidence that participation in the arts can contribute to community cohesion, reduce social exclusion and isolation, and/or make communities feel safer and stronger.
In the education system, taking part in structured music activities improves attainment in math, early language acquisition and early literacy. Schools that integrate arts across the curriculum have shown consistently higher average reading and mathematics scores compared to similar schools that do not. Participation in structured arts activities increases cognitive abilities. Students from low income families who take part in arts activities at school are three times more likely to get a degree than children from low income families do not engage in arts activities at school.