ART AT A GRASS ROOTS LEVEL



As New York State budget knives fall once again, those artistic entities still afloat have an even greater responsibility than ever to reach out to their community, to enrich their lives with culture at a time when the arts have been deemed a luxury.  This is a time when our country needs the arts most--even if most people don't know it yet.


The problem is not a new one—for years, the US has been one of the only civilized countries that chooses to downgrade the role of the arts in the health of its people, its communities, its national character—which may explain why our health care system, educational system and, indeed, our very national character are in decline.

For too many years, advocates were encouraged to contact political leaders to stress how the arts develop learning and social skills, foster respect and community, improve education and enrich neighborhoods with beauty and culture.  The arts actually increase commerce with these activities, bringing business to restaurants, stores, parking facilities and, yes, cultural facilities themselves.  All of this remains true, of course.  The problem is, the politicians already KNOW the power of the arts and are conscious of its threat: if art encourages individualistic thought, comparative judgment and passionate commitment  . . . well, that’s a dangerous brew to most politicos, who would rather lead sheep than individualized, informed constituents.  It merely forces them to re-double their efforts to squelch funding.

There is a need to go more grass roots, to let people themselves know what art can do for them NOT as a luxury, but as an essential building block in their quality of life, their mental and emotional health, the improvement of the environment they live in, and for edification of future generations.  People need to experience the arts for themselves, individually and as groups, to see and feel what it brings into their lives.  In order to do that, more galleries must open their doors to their neighborhoods. More parks and recreation facilities must provide free theater.  More projects must lure communities in to see how a good artistic experience enriches their lives.

In every previous era, art is what has opened people's eyes as to what they need to value as their comfort zones dissolve due to economic or environmental disaster (natural or man-made). Art needn't be an "escape" from calamity (although it can be a comfort), but sometimes it just provides the lens we need to figure out how to cope with our problems.

It is not my intent to be generic about the arts here--surely I can go on about the virtues of any form you choose.  But the slicing and dicing of funding is being approached in this way--and so the outreach must encompass all in order to stem the blood-letting.  A creative solution is needed for the economy.  An imaginative solution is needed to stem the oil spill.  Gifted problem-solving with a unique perspective is the only thing that will get us out of Iraq and Afghanistan.  Artists provide the frame through which we can perceive our world, decide what we value, and rouse ourselves to action.