The blog Everyday Opera posted a wonderful entry entitled "Why Artists Matter" this week. I was inspired to share it on my own personal Facebook page, but I'll also share my comments here.
I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but I recently saw on thread on Facebook (on a page that didn't belong to one of my friends --it was in comments of a post that was economy-related that one of my friends had shared) a comment along the... lines of "art and artists don't do any real work and don't contribute, so they shouldn't even be considered (in whatever discussion...)..." I had neither the time nor the emotional energy to respond (and respond well!) at that time (and had not at hand my statistics about how much money the arts =does= bring into the economy--it's actually a lot!), and so left that person to the others there telling him he was an idiot, but it genuinely sorrows me that there are people that think the arts don't matter, because they do -- they matter to =all= of us.
We need music, theatre, dance, painting, sculpture, photography, poetry, literature, etc. to bring us beauty for our souls and something to reflect on and perhaps give us a mental or emotional "vacation" from the difficulties of daily life and to give people "excuses" to feel emotions they might normally not think they could or "should" feel. I don't know of a civilization that's has recorded any history or left any evidence of themselves that hasn't left behind traces of artwork or decorative metal-working or music or -something-. I believe it's fundamental in our natures to want to create, and it is integral to our beings to do so and to support others in their creations.
If you've already read this far, I challenge everyone out there to go out and experience something artistic that you normally might not have by the end of this month. (That gives you 15 whole days!) Go to an art exhibit or a chamber music concert or the symphony or a dance recital, or even just youtube something you might not ordinarily look at if you are snowbound and can't get out! Go do something to support the arts... thank you.
We need music, theatre, dance, painting, sculpture, photography, poetry, literature, etc. to bring us beauty for our souls and something to reflect on and perhaps give us a mental or emotional "vacation" from the difficulties of daily life and to give people "excuses" to feel emotions they might normally not think they could or "should" feel. I don't know of a civilization that's has recorded any history or left any evidence of themselves that hasn't left behind traces of artwork or decorative metal-working or music or -something-. I believe it's fundamental in our natures to want to create, and it is integral to our beings to do so and to support others in their creations.
If you've already read this far, I challenge everyone out there to go out and experience something artistic that you normally might not have by the end of this month. (That gives you 15 whole days!) Go to an art exhibit or a chamber music concert or the symphony or a dance recital, or even just youtube something you might not ordinarily look at if you are snowbound and can't get out! Go do something to support the arts... thank you.
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