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What is Art and Why is it Important?
"...the answer is blowing in the wind."
Early history shows us art was once a celebration, financed by governments, churches and wealthy intellectuals. Today, it is usually the first line item to be cut from any budget. Like all businesses wanting to keep their doors open, the artist's agility is tested as he evolves his creations into something more “marketable.” Many artists today, have resorted to creating things and gadgets in an effort to keep their business running. And good for them, businesses need creativity and agility to change with the customer. Unfortunately, these things and gadgets, clutter our lives and devalue the importance of what art really is.
Art is not a means to an end. It is not a product. It cannot be commoditized, packaged and shipped all over the world. No. Art is like the wind, always blowing to and fro, here and there. Sometimes a hurricane, other times silently still. This wind connects us, touches us. The artist's job is to take flight while maintaining a steady foot on the ground to sing the song of the wind. For these songs are the only means we have to fill our sails and glide forward. Art is the wind that moves us, individually and collectively.
Look around and I am sure you will find everything that gives your life meaning comes from the song in the wind of art. Art is so ubiquitous in our lives it may be too much of a challenge for you to even notice. In that case, it may be easier to consider the absence of it. Start with something big, like music. Now think about what its absence would mean: No songs spinning in your head, no active discussion about love, violence, government corruption. No stories telling ancestral histories, no rhythm-filled journeys into your imagination. And how would we even celebrate religious events? We certainly wouldn't know as much about the dreidel or Rudolph, as we do today.
The absence of music isn't the only art that would stunt our collective knowledge. You see, art is solely responsible for everything we know today. The art of metaphors and symbolism in oral teachings, written word, performance and visual art told primitive man where to find buffalo and tells modern man how to find peace. All of what we know, of who we are, is because of the arts.
This may sound grandiose and far-reaching, because it is and it is also true. Art is a mirror in space, but not in time. It reflects stories and cultures of our past, present and future, filling our sails and giving us the opportunity to expand and grow. Imagine a world without Da Vinci's art, or Van Gogh's, Monet's, Picasso's... our museums would not be the only empty thing in a world like that.
Today art is reduced to clutter and background noise, its significance devalued. Very few schools have art as part of their required coursework or even offer it at all. The art sector across the US generates more revenue than either transportation or agriculture and funding for the arts still lags. Art enriches lives, moves us forward and creates vibrant communities, and the funding the arts still lags.
This year is a voting year in the US. Tell your city and state that the arts are important to you and vote for those political leaders who feel the same way and are willing to fight for its funding, including art education. Then, seek out local, independent artists and organizations and help with funding or volunteering. They need your help. We are all stewards of the song of the wind, its care is in our hands.
