The Future of the Arts?


Rand/Wallace Report "Gifts of the Muse" and other efforts lead to a vibrant debate

As we close in on the end of music and arts advocacy month a new, and I believe welcome, debate has emerged among the music and arts leaders in this country. The debate focuses on what is the value of the arts in this country, how do we talk about the value of the arts and what are the models and strategies to advance the arts and arts education in this still young new century.

Bill Ivey (former NEA Chairman and Director of the Curb Center) weighed in with his arguments for a "new system" for supporting the arts. (see: America Needs a New System for Supporting the Arts )

The broadly disseminated Rand report "Gifts of the Muse" has sparked some great debate and exchanges. A great read (but you will need PLENTY of time to go through all the posts) is a week of blogging regarding this topic on Artsjournal .

We also have the focus that ECS Chairman Mike Huckabee is placing on arts education as part of education reform. And local strategically designed plans to restore and expand arts education programs is taking hold in some major communities like Los Angeles County.

We laid out our own take for the arts education community last year in the essay "The View from the Eye of the Perfect Storm."

Our collective work here in New Jersey to create a new vision for the entire arts community (Hey, we are all one big happy family) is helping to shape my personal views even further.

One thing is clear to me... A vibrant arts community will be dependent on our ability to engage as many people as possible in the the creation of art. Formal, informal, recreational, hobbiest, in school programs, after school programs, community based programs. Every way possible... if we have any hope of permanently advancing the field.

The kind of engaged debate we are now seeing across this country is the first step down the road in this long, and over due journey.

Posted: Fri - March 25, 2005 at 09:52 AM       Email Feedback

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