Public funding for abstract art often sparks more outrage than appreciation, but I'd argue it's a necessary investment in cultural depth rather than a waste of tax dollars. When my city cut its arts budget by 30% in 2020, the local galleries that survived shifted to safer, commercial work, and the experimental pieces that once challenged us disappeared. We measure ROI in tourism and foot traffic, yet the real value of challenging aesthetics is harder to quantify—should we let market demand alone decide what art we see?