The fine arts are something that we find ourselves coming into contact with every day. The question is, however, a question of whether or not the amount of contact that is occurring in everyday life is diminishing and whether or not we hold this contact as a societal necessity anymore. This question holds much importance to society because the fine arts are one of the main sectors of our education systems and our culture. Cohesive with sports, technology and academics, the fine arts have always been around. But with times advancing and our world rapidly changing, it's hard to always see the relevance of fine arts in society compared to sports, technology and the other sectors. With such, this is what interests me about this research question. Being a fine arts major, I constantly wonder if the major that I chose to pursue is one that will be relevant in society today. The answer to this question will help me understand where my degree would fall as far as interest and demands go in today's world and will help me make a decision on whether or not to stay on this track. Being in the field and assimilated with its happenings, I feel qualified to discuss this subject. It directly affects me more than it would someone else, making me qualified to research and find answers. 

For this research topic, I have found three sources that pertain to my question. The first of my three sources is an online textbook regarding art education in schools. This book titled Arts Education in Elementary and Secondary Schools: 1999-2000 and 2009-10, discusses the numbers involving arts education in schools. It shows several graphs breaking down both the participation and presence of arts education in schools from 1999 to 2010. Most of the graphs show a decline in the numbers of both participation and presence, showing that maybe the arts are on a decline in society because they are on a decline in schools. Education forms the basis of our interests because it is what we experience and how we learn as children. With such, if there is a decline in arts in schools, there is bound to be a decline in interest towards the arts in society. As far as credibility for this source, the book was created by the National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Department of Education. These two organizations are national groups, meaning that they are both completely unbiased and credible.

My second source is an article included in the New York Times on December 26th, 2014. This article is titled "They Say Art Is Dead in New York, They're Wrong" and was written by Alan Feuer. In this article Alan Feuer argues that the arts are not dead in New York, but are actually thriving. Feuer uses people like Olivier Babin and Jeff Stark, both thriving artists in the city, to reinforce his argument. He discusses how there are plenty of galleries "within blocks" of the city and goes as far as to stay we as people are merely blind to it. He discusses that the arts are merely hidden from the "money-seeking" eye of everyday Americans and says that the arts are more than prevalent in not just New York, but other places as well. As far credibility goes for this source, Alan Feuer is not as affiliated with the arts community as one could be, but he is very involved with many large issues and has written many articles about them. With such, he attains some credibility for his argument and my source. He may be a bit biased in his article because he does not get any direct quotations from the "white-collar men" that he refers to. This bias is, however, very minimal because he also includes information on how that other side is effecting the arts in New York. 

My third source is a review that the Arts Council of England published. The review is titled The Value of Arts and Culture to People and Society: An Evidence Review and discusses the arts and its relationship with four different sectors of life, that being: Economy, Health and Well Being, Society and Education. This review goes over how the integration of arts into our everyday lives can better each of these sectors. For instance when speaking of how the arts can better an economy, the review discusses how arts bring business to an area, bring creative workers and attract visitors. The review does the same thing for society, discussing how the arts make people more well-rounded and creative in their thinking and doings. The review does an in-depth analysis of all four of these sections in this way. As far as credibility goes for this source, it was done by the Arts Council of England, another national organization. With such, the author is more than credible as it is a nationally run organization, whose job is to specifically deal with the arts and stay unbiased. 

This research question is arguable in the idea that some people feel the arts have diminished in society and some feel they are actually thriving. With such, this research will help me reveal which argument is stronger and in some ways right. The sources argue between themselves and can help me effectively represent both sides. The first source argues against the second and third, and the second source supports the third source. The perspective of the first source may make me reconsider my argument as far as its effectiveness, but the second and third source make my argument more relevant and even push it onto a grander, worldlier scale. I think however that this research question will be a good question to research and argue and will help me understand where the arts fall in today's world.

