TA's Question on Dewey

Consider what Dewey has to say about the human experience, emotions, and the influence art has on these. Following Dewey's logic, what implications does capitalism then have not only on art, but on the human psyche and even humanity in general?
Do you think he has a point?
Give a possible solution to this dilemma.


Dewey's definitions of an experience say a lot about his opinions on human experience, emotions, and the influence of art.  He talks about the fulfillment and lasting experiences of "real experiences."  He speaks of the influence of art as indelible instances in our memory, ones which we constantly recall upon. 


"The growth of capitalism has been a powerful influence in the development of the museum as the proper home of works of art, and in the promotion of the idea that they are apart from the common life...These things reflect and establish superior cultural status, while their segregation from the common life reflects the fact that they are not part of a native and spontaneous culture...The mobility of trade and of populations, due to the economic system, has weakened or destroyed the connection between works of art and genius loci of which they were once the natural expression"(Dewey, 299).


I think that the continuity, flow, and beauty of origins that Dewey favors in a true experience of art is lost in the economic and societal battle for approval in the world of "fine art."  The original beauty is lost when the most expensive art is collected, setting a bar based on wealth, and a culture based on the power of the groups of individuals collecting the art. 


With that being said, I do not think Dewey is referring to museums of natural history, merely museums of fine art.  I also think that any solution, no matter how practical, would be futile, however unfortunate that may be.  Our globalized world gets smaller and smaller every day, and the only common denominator of who gets what, and what is "fine art," and what is not, is money and power.  Attempting to "deregulate" such museums, collections, and galleries would be very difficult.  For the sake of the argument, I would say that the best solution to the problem would be lower the economic barriers to the fine art.  By making fine art and "common" art available to anyone, without difficulty, the general population would once again be able to decipher for itself the beauty of art, without being biased or predisposed to what the art is worth, or where it is being showed or displayed.