What is the Value of Art? John Carey, Matthew Kieran, Kwami Kwei Armah Wednesday 20 April 2005 18.30–20.30
Why does art matter to us, and what makes it good – does it make us better people? Are the arts a sign of civilisation or
can they be immoral or obscene, and should they be censored? Is artistic judgement simply a matter of taste? These are some
of the challenges frequently posed by the popular press about contemporary art, literature, performance and film. The critic
John Carey, author of What Good are the Arts? (2004) joins the philosopher Matthew Kieran, author of Revealing Art (2005), and the playwright and broadcaster Kwami Kwei Armah in a discussion about that most controversial of questions – what is the value of art?
