Can blogging change the way that people perceive the arts? If the answer is yes, then can tapestry be included in the community of arts that benefit from the increase in interest?

In anticipation of a conference on arts journalism called "The New Playing Field", Arts Journal hosted a discussion blog called "Critical Edge." The arguments definitely piqued my interest but another article actually captivated me. On the sidebar is a link to "Why Arts Coverage Should Be More Like Sports" by Chris Lavin... which brings up some very interesting points.

Is it possible to have arts coverage in the newspapers the same way that we have sports coverage? I don't see why not. Coverage of my favorite local musicians, performances, films, etc. as well as national news along the same lines could easily fill many pages in a newspaper that I would pay for and actually read rather than skim. Certainly we have cultural personalities that have attracted this kind of coverage - famous baritones of opera, famous conductors, famous film stars, etc. We have new rising and falling "stars" in all the disciplines. Maybe I've just been looking in the wrong places for this kind of news... or maybe there's some other reason it's not getting reported?

Maybe the need for more transparency in arts organizations actually extends all the way down to the audience and affects how they perceive the arts. Have we been walled in by ourselves or by some outside force that caused us to circle the wagons? Or maybe both?