About "Art" and public fundng....

Ya know, I never was interested in those fancy art museums, but the topic of museums in general interests me. I do enjoy history, and the odd things that local folks in different cities might find worthy of note.  Within Indiana alone, I have visited the John Dillinger Museum, the Tippecanoe County Historical Museum, the James Dean museum, and the Hall of Fame Museum at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to give some examples. Those places are full of interesting stuff, and explanations as to why the folks who put the collection together think it is "neat".

 Once, at a little museum in southern Indiana, I saw a fake corpse, all dressed out to the smallest detail, to look like John Dillinger's body at the funeral.  That was pretty cool, in my opinion. That is my idea of a good museum. It doesn't have to be big, or fancy, or expensive, just interesting.  I guess I will keep looking for more places like that.  Places that have lots of old stuff to look at- old furniture, old clothes, old stories about interesting people and interesting times. 

You can keep your "Art Museums". Art for Art's sake is great, and I suppose it has it's place in society, but it does not interest me, and I have no interest in being forced to pony up tax dollars to finance it. Some will say this makes me (fill in the blank with some arrogant insulting term used by the "educated elite" to describe anyone who does not share their interests....Stupid?  Uncouth? Crass?).  So be it.  One cannot measure how little I respect the opinions of people like that. 

I believe people need to understand that everyone has their own interests, their own areas of expertise, their own idea of fun, and just because someone does not share yours, they are not necessarily somehow a lesser human being than you.  Sure, society needs art, in many forms, but that doesn't mean that I should be forced by the Government to pay for what YOU think is "art", any more than it means you have a "right" to make "art" that the government doesn't deem "of artistic value".   

Make your "art"  for the love of the craft.  If people like it at all, good for you.  If they don't....tough shit.  Either way, neither I, nor the Government should be in the business of deciding what art you make, or funding it.  PERIOD. 

You can keep your  Art Museums to yourself, I won't be bothering you there.  I hope you enjoy it. I think the coolest stuff is worlds away from there.  Come join me at some local museum or flea market someday, I promise not to think less of you if you don't understand it, or demand you pay for it if you don;t wanna go.