SURVEY: Who needs art? That's debatable

Art in daily life - essential or irrelevant?

The gloves are off tonight, May 2, at the National Gallery in Ottawa.

Winnipeg Art Gallery's executive director Stephen Borys, along with Globe and Mail's Kate Taylor will take a stand for the arts as essential.

"Long before there were words, we had ways to express ourselves through art, through colour, through gesture. It is the way we express ourselves. In the end it is pretty powerful when we can rely on something to better understand a society, a person, a thought -- through a painting, through a sculpture, a video, an installation."

That's one side of the argument. The Walrus foundations have been inviting Canadians to weigh in and add fodder to tonight's debate. And not surprisingly, there are those who disagree with Borys.

"Should government, in times when fiscal restraint is essential, make arts funding a priority? Shouldn't healthcare or education or jobs creation come first?" (comment by Spencran on The Walrus Soapbox site).

What do you think? Weigh in on our SCENE survey and tell us how art does -- or doesn't -- play an essential role in your daily life.