A recent posting sent out by the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture by Arlene Goldbard really got my attention. Referring to artists as the "engineers of the imagination", this video interview advocates for a "new WPA for artist". In an article on the Community Arts Network site, Ms. Goldbard writes that a public works program that puts artists to work would be as important an element to economic stimulus as building roads and bridges to rebuild our country's financial stability.
Many countries around the world have cultural ministers and national departments dedicated to cultural issues. But here in the U.S. we treat the arts as "extracurricular", while economic realities force school districts to cut arts programs (while usually retaining sports programs), and thousands of arts non-profits must beg for money to continue work that sometimes offers the only ray of hope or expression to the lives of disadvantaged kids.The fact that this discussion is going on gives me hope that perhaps we're moving towards a society that realizes that participation in the arts is what will allow us envision the future we desire, and then create it.
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