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February 11, 2009
Art Is Not a Luxury
I read in the paper last week about the great actress Olympia Dukakis. She was giving a talk to a group of arts supporters in Winter Park, Florida, and she quoted the Spanish poet and dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca:
The poem, the song, the picture
Is only water drawn from the well of the people,
And it should be given back to them in a cup of beauty
So that they may drink
And in drinking, understand themselves.
I believe Lorca was saying that the arts help us better understand ourselves and the world around us.
The culture of the United States generally thinks of the arts as a luxury. Something that can be cut when budgets get tight. How many public schools have greatly curtailed their arts programs in tough economic times?
The truth is that the arts are vital essentials in telling our story.
Its one thing to read a textbook about the Holocaust, its quite another to watch a work of art such as Schindler’s List and find oneself deeply moved by the horrors conveyed, and courage displayed.
One can read about the transcendent beauty of certain American landscapes, but their true splendor is captured even more vividly in the work of Ansel Adams.
One can ponder the pain of love gone wrong, the joy of love gone right, or the mysteries of life, but the mind truly soars when encountering these concepts artfully expressed in a well-written song teamed with a passionate performance.
A child who learns to speak confidently on stage will one day make effective presentations in a corporate boardroom.
If you are an artist, you have the opportunity to have a tremendous impact on everyone who sees and hears what you create. The world needs to hear you, as you contribute to its collective story.
You, the artist, are a necessity!
Posted by leonolguin at February 11, 2009 12:11 PM
Comments
AMEN... :)
Posted by: Sandy at February 15, 2009 11:50 AM