Before starting on why the arts are important, I think it is important to be clear as to what one is asking of the city. Obviously, with the financial situation being what it is today, increasing public funding for the arts is not an option. The focus of arts support has been on money for so long that it is hard to think of what else we want. What can our community leaders do to aid the arts?
Be there. Be vocal. Be involved. When business leaders or politicians attend arts events they communicate to the public that the arts affect them in deep and meaningful ways. When they speak publicly on the their personal experiences with the arts, they demonstrate the importance of the arts to the community. When they volunteer to paint sets, sell tickets, or host arts gatherings they clearly show that they value the arts.
Why are the arts important? What's so special about culture? Why should I really care if our community has a symphony orchestra or a theatre group? For us involved in the arts, these are sometimes a hard questions to answer because the arts are such an essential part of our being. There are so many reasons, that it is hard to pick just a few that would be meaningful to those not so directly tied to the arts. But let me try two approaches: a metaphor and a story.
I like fast food - In and Out burgers, Jack In the Box fajita pitas, Taco Bell burritos. It's quick, easy, inexpensive, and enjoyable. OK, fast food clogs my arteries, packs on pounds, and has dubious nutritional value, but there are times when it is just the thing. But there are other times when I want something more, a fine dining experience - a quiet setting, a special ambience, and high quality food prepared by a talented chef. Yes, I will pay more for this, but it is worth it for those occasions or gatherings that I want to be special.
And, in a way, so it is with the arts. Like fast food, we are surrounded by pop culture - a rock song playing on someone's car radio, storefront ads with flashy graphics, and the latest hit movie with an abundance of special effects, hot looking stars, and wild car chases. All well and good. Pop culture is quick, easy, inexpensive, and enjoyable, and there are times when it is just the right thing.
But there are times when we want something more. Yet, it is hard to say exactly what that "more" is. As an artist (musician) I've struggled to find the perfect answer. What is art? What's so special about Mozart? Why do we need "high culture" anyway, isn't that just for snobs?
The best answer was given to me by a former student.
For the first half of my career I taught guitar, choir and music appreciation in a junior high school in East Los Angeles. One day after school a young man came into my classroom.
"Hey, Mr. Pease. Remember me? I was in your guitar class about five years ago."
Now, I'm bad at names with my current students. With a former students who was a child when I had him and now is a man, I was helplessly lost. I studied his face praying for a clue and frantically searched my mental database for names. He must have seen my anxiety.
"That's OK. I sat in the back of your guitar class, and I was a pretty quiet kid."
Ah, saved by his kindness. I hope I gave him a good grade.
He continued, "I thought I'd come by and just say thanks for all you taught me about classical music. I work in an auto supply shop now. It's hard work. I'm on my feet twelve hours a day. My boss is mean and the customers are demanding. When I get home I am exhausted. I can barely eat my dinner. But then I put on some classical music and do nothing but just listen to it for about an hour. And after that, I feel human again."
"I feel human again." It's almost a cliche, but it stuck with me. That is what the arts do. They make us feel human again. They remind us of our humanity. They capture the whole range of human experience and help us explore it's meaning. The arts are shared by each of us on an intimate level that communicates the feelings, needs, and dreams of all of us.
Artists have always believed that we are affected by the arts. They touch our emotions, excite our imaginations, and inspire us to action. We have always sensed that. But now science is able to show us how this happens at a neurological level. Brain chemistry and actual brain structure is changed. This is not simply "touchy feely" fluff. This is real change. And we are now just beginning to see a host of collateral benefits from the arts - causations and correlations that suggest that the arts make us smarter, happier, and more creative.
I am an artist. For me, "Art for art's sake." But if you have not arrived there yet, go ahead and consider those side benefits. I believe that after a little time being involved with the arts, you too will not need any offshoot justifications. The arts will be your fine dining for the soul, and need no other reason for being.
So, getting back to what you can do for the arts...
Be there. Not because you have to, not because it's supposed to be good for you, not because it is some community obligation like taxes. Be there because the arts will touch your humanity in a unique and special way.
Be vocal. Not because it is good PR, not because it will make you look cultured, not because it will keep the arts community off your back for a few weeks. Be vocal because when the arts reminded us of our own humanity, it is easier to recognize that same humanity in our neighbor.
Be involved. Not because you will make important business contacts, not because you can do a little side politicking, not because it looks good. Be involved because you believe in the intrinsic value of the arts and are therefore willing to work to ensure that they continue to play a vital role in the community.
Lastly, one challenge. Be an artist. Einstein was a violinist, Václav Havel, the president of the Czech Republic is a playwright, Leonardo da Vinci was an engineer, inventor, scientist, and not a bad painter and sculptor, Ronald Reagan did a little acting, Emmitt Smith, the football player, turned out to be a good dancer as well, and Bill Clinton played a pretty mean sax. Why not you? Take some art or photography classes at a community college. Really learn to play that guitar that's been sitting in the closet for the last few years, and that piano in your living room is good for more than just holding pictures. Join a theatre group, or take some dance lessons. You don't need to be great, you just need to be doing it.
There is no greater way to experience the arts than to be part of the arts. There is no greater statement of support for the arts than to be an artist.
