---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art in America has always been regarded…"
description: "\"Art in America has always been regarded as a luxury.\" — Hallie Flanagan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/hallie-flanagan-52322_america_art-in-america-has-always-been-regarded_961120.jpg"
---

#  Art in America has always been regarded as a luxury.

![“Art in America has always been regarded as a luxury.” quote by Hallie Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/hallie-flanagan-52322_america_art-in-america-has-always-been-regarded_961120.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/hallie-flanagan-52322_america_art-in-america-has-always-been-regarded_961120.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/hallie-flanagan-52322_america_art-in-america-has-always-been-regarded_961120.jpg)

> “Art in America has always been regarded as a luxury.”

[Hallie Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-flanagan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Art in America is seen as an indulgent, non-essential luxury rather than a fundamental cultural right.

**In simple terms:** Art is treated as a luxury.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for art as a societal necessity.

Themes

culture inequality access elitism

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

analytical social

When to use this quote

- public funding debates
- school curricula
- community murals

Key Concepts

cultural value social stratification

Questions to Reflect On

- Why is art labeled a luxury?
- How can we democratize artistic access?

A Different Perspective

Not all view art as non-essential; some see it as vital.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Luxury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxury/)

## Related quotes

> [Religion in America . . . Must be regarded as the foremost of the political institutions for that country; for if it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/religion-in-america-must-be-regarded-as-the-foremost-of-the-political/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [Only in North America is it regarded as a major achievement to speak one language moderately well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-in-north-america-is-it-regarded-as-a-major-achievement-to-speak/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The Barnes Foundation is the only sane place to see art in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/the-barnes-foundation-is-the-only-sane-place-to-see-art-in-america/)

[Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/)

> [What really drives me mad about art is that, in America, the only thing you can do is to take it apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-i-a/what-really-drives-me-mad-about-art-is-that-in-america-the-only-thing/)

M.I.A

> [There is only one reason for art in America, and that is that the people of America learn the means of expressing themselves in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/there-is-only-one-reason-for-art-in-america-and-that-is-that-the/)

[Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/)

> [Making art in America is about saving one's soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-simic/making-art-in-america-is-about-saving-one-s-soul/)

[Charles Simic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-simic/)

> [The only works of art America has given are her plumbing and her bridges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-wood/the-only-works-of-art-america-has-given-are-her-plumbing-and-her/)

[Beatrice Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-wood/)

> [I just get the feeling that if Jesse Helms was in charge of art in America, you'd go into a museum and see nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elayne-boosler/i-just-get-the-feeling-that-if-jesse-helms-was-in-charge-of-art-in/)

[Elayne Boosler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elayne-boosler/)

> [The earlier days of the republic went into the acquisition of money and the provision for material things is now finding an outlet in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-kreisler/the-earlier-days-of-the-republic-went-into-the-acquisition-of-money/)

[Fritz Kreisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-kreisler/)

> [Making art in America is sort of a political statement in and of itself. It's not the best environment for that sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/making-art-in-america-is-sort-of-a-political-statement-in-and-of/)

[Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/)

> [But, you see, the theatre is not always art in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-wood/but-you-see-the-theatre-is-not-always-art-in-america/)

[Beatrice Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-wood/)

> [Art in America should be American, drawn from American sources, memorializing American achievement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gutzon-borglum/art-in-america-should-be-american-drawn-from-american-sources/)

[Gutzon Borglum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gutzon-borglum/)

> [It's tragic what America has become because there is a great segment of society that now resents luxury and success and achievement by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/it-s-tragic-what-america-has-become-because-there-is-a-great-segment/)

[Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/)

> [It is, of course, a luxury to create art and, on top of this, to insist on expressing one's own artistic opinion. Nothing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-beckmann/it-is-of-course-a-luxury-to-create-art-and-on-top-of-this-to-insist/)

[Max Beckmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-beckmann/)

> [As you know, in America there's no rights for the artist, so whatever films I've made kind of belong to the studio, so if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-jewison/as-you-know-in-america-there-s-no-rights-for-the-artist-so-whatever/)

[Norman Jewison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-jewison/)

## More by Hallie Flanagan

> [the power of radio is not that it speaks to millions, but that it speaks intimately and privately to each one of those millions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-flanagan/the-power-of-radio-is-not-that-it-speaks-to-millions-but-that-it/)

[Hallie Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-flanagan/)

> [Youth lives in an atmosphere of energy waiting to make contact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-flanagan/youth-lives-in-an-atmosphere-of-energy-waiting-to-make-contact/)

[Hallie Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-flanagan/)

> [Neither should the theater in our country be regarded as a luxury. It is a necessity because in order to make democracy work the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-flanagan/neither-should-the-theater-in-our-country-be-regarded-as-a-luxury-it/)

[Hallie Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-flanagan/)

> [ \[To actors on opening night:\] You have had good equipment to work with. You've had a theater with everything you needed, and you are… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-flanagan/to-actors-on-opening-night-you-have-had-good-equipment-to-work-with/)

[Hallie Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-flanagan/)

> [The theater, when it is potent enough to deserve its ancestry, is always dangerous; that is why it is instinctively feared by people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-flanagan/the-theater-when-it-is-potent-enough-to-deserve-its-ancestry-is/)

[Hallie Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-flanagan/)

> [Democracy ... is never won but always to be won.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-flanagan/democracy-is-never-won-but-always-to-be-won/)

[Hallie Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-flanagan/)

[Explore all 7 Hallie Flanagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-flanagan/)

## More America quotes

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/)

[Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

[Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Art in America has always been regarded as a luxury.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hallie Flanagan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-flanagan/art-in-america-has-always-been-regarded-as-a-luxury/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "America"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-flanagan/art-in-america-has-always-been-regarded-as-a-luxury/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/hallie-flanagan-52322_america_art-in-america-has-always-been-regarded_961120.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/hallie-flanagan-52322_america_art-in-america-has-always-been-regarded_961120.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/hallie-flanagan-52322_america_art-in-america-has-always-been-regarded_961120.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Art in America has always been regarded as a luxury.” — Hallie Flanagan",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Hallie Flanagan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-flanagan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Art in America has always been...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-flanagan/art-in-america-has-always-been-regarded-as-a-luxury/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-flanagan/art-in-america-has-always-been-regarded-as-a-luxury/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
