The more I spend time in the US, the more I realize this is true. Conservatives are just not congenitally predisposed to be artists. But that’s not the biggest problem, as you don’t actually need that many artists.
The biggest issue is that conservatives are also terrible art consumers. The little art American conservatives do produce is barely read by its intended audience. Conservatives also refuse to contend with contemporary art of any kind, whether it be movies, music, etc. They tend to attribute maliciousness to it immediately.
Conservatives have no culture of art criticism. For them, there is no prestige in being involved in current art forms, whether it be through criticism, consumption, or production. Because of this, they produce no economy in which artists can exist as conservatives.
If you ask your average Matt-Walsh-type when was the last time he went to a gallery, read a recently released novel, or took a chance on an indie movie without critical consensus behind it, all you’ll get is a blank stare.
They hide their philistinism as “taste” by claiming they only care for “the good stuff,” which, of course, was always made more than a hundred years ago. These conservatives don’t really like art. They like art history. Liking art history is easier because you can outsource your taste to those who came before you.
Conservatives claim they want art, but when given the opportunity, all they produce is the TPUSA halftime show. At least they should know it’s not their fault.