I feel like in many ways this will be preaching to the choir here in the Steemit community, but I feel like it is worth reminding everyone: Go out and support your local arts community!
I firmly believe that the arts, when considered from a communal viewpoint, is the expression of the vitality of a community. This assertion is best expressed by a study done by the National Endowment for the Arts, which I encourage everyone to read thoroughly, but I thought I would share the infographics from the page, since everyone likes illustrations!
This first one talks about the reasons people attend the arts in the first place. They also examined the reasons why some people don't attend local arts events.
Next, the NEA examined how people were participating in the arts. It is especially interesting that they found that children who were exposed to performance art or museums are 3-4X more likely to attend the arts as an adult. This is a clear indicator of how important it is to expose your children to the wider world of art around them.
Quite possibly the most underappreciated and overlooked aspect of impact of the arts on a community is the financial aspect. Having a strong, vibrant arts community helps grow the economy. In some cases, the impact of the arts on the general quality of life in an area can make the difference between new talent for local businesses moving to your town or moving someplace else instead.
No matter where you live, and no matter where you go, you will always find artists trying to be seen or heard. If you want to live somewhere that is worthy of being proud of, it is imperative that you support the artists in your area who are striving to make your community a brighter, more beautiful place to be.