Art and Social Value Regimes

Abstract

How are artistic choices made and what arguments play a part in this process? In this article selection mechanisms were analysed by means of mainly qualitative research methods, such as participant observation in artistic institutions and governmental bodies, in-depth interviews with policy-makers and decision-makers, research in the records and analyses of documents. Artistic selections were compared for two fields of research in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking community in Belgium), namely that of contemporary dance and that of the field of visual art. In addition to the empirical research, theories of sociology of art were explored. By doing so, the necessary and appropriate conceptual tools were researched in order to answer the central issue. Particularly, the French discussion between Pierre Bourdieu and Nathalie Heinich proved to be very inspiring. The tension between the two sociological views provided the necessary material for the development of a conceptual model that can explain the argumentations sociologically for artistic selections. The author goes on to crystallize a conceptual model that explains the value regimes in which artistic selections are made. The article concludes with some empirical findings and the interpretation of these findings within the expounded model.