The arts are suffering. As our live become more and more digital people have been attending museums and other art venues less and less. I also don’t think that the steady decline of art being studied in schools help. Then to add insult to injury the recession has also taken its toll. With earthquakes in Haiti and other humanitarian aid and research groups trying to cure things like cancer there is not much left for big buildings holding pretty pictures.

Feeling the Recession in the Art World - TIME

The Great Recession has struck museums and performing-arts groups with a vengeance. No one expects the Federal Government to bail them out.

Like and musician, artists can benefit from the Web’s scale to gain awareness and exposure to new fans. From there people can be brought out to shows and museums. YouTube, one of the biggest supporters of curation,  even recently held a contest to support the arts.

There is a trend on the Web that I think can help the arts: Curation. Sites like Flickr and YouTube have power users who comb the sites collecting the best content. These people are very similar to the wikipedians who manage many pages on Wikipedia. They’re the digital version of museum curators.

YouTube Blog: Wanted: Creative Content to Support the Arts on YouTube

At the same time, organizations that support the arts — from museums to orchestras, ballet companies to musical education programs — are sorely in need of funding and promotion. That’s where you can help. YouTube Video Volunteers and guest curator Dr. Phil want you to create a video that shines the spotlight on an organization that advances the arts in your community or on the national stage.

Museums need to get social. They should be holding art tweetups and leveraging other social media. Don’t get me wrong, some are doing this but very few are and they are just scratching the surface.

What ways do you think the arts could use social media? Do you have any examples? Please share in the comments.

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