"Every great society from the Egyptians, to the Greek and Roman Empires, has been defined by its cultural contributions. The commercial benefits of the arts not withstanding -- our artistic endeavors are a consistent source of revenue in the United States and our nation's largest export -- can we really run the risk of becoming a culturally bankrupt nation because we have not inserted a curriculum into our educational institutions that will teach and nurture creativity in our children? That when future generations look back our cultural legacy is an age of disposable, vapid pabulum."I am of the mindset that you have to know where you come from to get to where you're going. The time has come to make a concerted effort from both the public and private sectors to put in place a system whereby our children and future generations will be aware of our county's rich cultural legacy and contributions to the world. The arts, particularly our music, are the soul of our country. They are an expression of our spiritual ideals and a timeline of the emotional state of our nation... scars and all. It is a disservice to every American not to recognize them in their proper light."
That much I can agree with. And if this ever was to happen, the Obama presidency would certainly be an appropriate moment. It's so rare, though, for a public figure - and particularly a President - to do much more than pay lip service to the idea that jazz and the multitude of other styles pioneered by African-Americans are (and continue to be) an integral part of our cultural legacy.
If Obama was to do this right, he would have to do it soon, to be sure to imprint the position with a strong and effective sense of advocacy for the kind of diverse cultural portfolio that Quincy is talking about. Lest we further empower a Ken Burns-esque backwards view of American cultural history, or even worse, embolden some future POTUS to come along and use the post to emphasize a political agenda. I get chills thinking about how someone like GWB might have leveraged an Arts Secretary position, after pulling a boneheaded move like appointing Lee Greenwood (!) to the NEA...
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1 comments:
Good for Quincy! But there should be an army of big artists behind and speaking up also. Either that or they should set up something themselves.Tourism in the US has dropped since art funding has been cut. It pays for itself.
Tangentally
Look at all the multimillioniare actors in LA and why is it not the biggest theater town in the US.
They could easily make it so. It would lead in the long run to better movies too. hence more money.
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