Is Art a Luxury or a NEED?

This is a piece from Harold Klunder - a past University Professor of mine.

Is ART a LUXURY or a NEED?

For the last two years, art has been a luxury- - - a luxury of time, of space, of thought, of life… The last couple years have been HARD and months ago, I set it into survival mode. And yet looking back, the times when I was happiest, I had some form of art going on whether in community class, CRAFT creativity - - - some way of a personal creative outlet. I should have clued in that survival for me is having a voice of creativity- - - when did I forget? What am I going to do now to change my current path? It is a NEED.

On a global sense, is art a need or luxury?

How do different societies view art? I grew up with academics, attendance and sports being the recognizable accomplishments. What about art? Why do some struggle to take it seriously?

Is there a way to teach appreciation or enhance the NEED of art in society?