Popular Culture Values and the Arts: Essays on Elitism Versus Democratization

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In most of the powerful countries throughout the world, the rise of various degrees of class structure and unbridled capitalism is placing great strains and changes on the conventional definitions of art and aesthetics. Historically, the philanthropy of the elite has played an unparalleled role in supporting, funding, and distributing the works of both conventional and unconventional artists. But while such measures may be pure in intent, many worry that private funding may be gentrifying the arts and creating a situation in which art will only be valued for its prestige or, worse, its price tag.This collection of essays examines the movement which is currently underway to democratize the arts and make the world of artistic endeavor more open and accessible to all. The topics include: the hegemony of copyright and trademark in art and popular culture; the relationship between a culture’s dominant religion and its artistic tradition; the ideologically subversive but culturally enduring nature of early children’s literature; and the cultural significance of the terms ‘high art’ and ‘popular art’ as these two realms have existed since the early 19th century.