I once had a friend remark that there were certain politicians who seemed to automatically oppose any piece of legislation if it benefited everyone equally. I thought about it for a minute and then discovered that couldn't argue.
In terms of those of us who are interested in the arts, cultural infrastructure like public art museums and city parks rank near the top of the list of spaces that benefit everyone equally, at least ideally. The idea of trying to keep people out of a public park, or public pool, or limiting access to public museums by, for instance, prohibitive admission pricing, should really sort of annoy you, if you think about it.
Writing recently in the journal Jacobin, Nick French noted that "nobody's thinking about class struggle as they flip hotdogs on the public grill.... But because they serve the collective good rather than private profits, public parks are a challenge to the logic of capitalism.” In other words, they're a challenge to the accepted notion that I buy and control this and it's mine, and you have the freedom to go out and get your own if you want one too. To French's invocation of public parks, I'd add public pools, zoos, and of course public art museums. These cultural places represent an investment in community in a way that most private interests don't.
A city park or art museum isn't some sort of proto-socialist inroad. But they do represent an investment in a public good that all can enjoy equally. Think back to the 1930s and consider the social aspects of many of the New Deal programs and their ongoing contribution to civic life. The agency called the Works Progress Administration built over 2,300 stadiums, grandstands, and bleachers; more than 50 fairgrounds and rodeo grounds; 1,600 public parks; more than 3,000 playgrounds; over 800 swimming pools; 228 band shells and 138 outdoor theaters. If those aren't your bag, how about this: the WPA built 254 golf courses and over 10,000 tennis courts. You may be playing pickleball on one of them this afternoon.
Think for a minute just how much public enjoyment and public benefit came from all those. Think about the ways in which those places help build public cohesion. The common conviction that holds it all together is that a civic spirit that comes through culture, is a public good not merely a private one.
