by Alberta Arthurs (Editor), Michael DiNiscia (Editor)
A timely and kaleidoscopic reflection on the importance of the arts in our society
In
the midst of a devastating pandemic, as theaters, art galleries and
museums, dance stages and concert halls shuttered their doors
indefinitely and institutional funding for entertainment and culture
evaporated almost overnight, a cohort of highly acclaimed scholars,
artists, cultural critics, and a journalist sat down to ponder an urgent
question: Are the arts essential?
Across twenty-five highly
engaging essays, these luminaries join together to address this question
and to share their own ideas, experiences, and ambitions for the arts.
Darren Walker discusses the ideals of justice and fairness advanced
through the arts; Mary Schmidt Campbell shows us how artists and
cultural institutions helped New York overcome the economic crisis of
the 1970s, bringing new investment and creativity to the city; Deborah
Willis traces histories of oppression and disenfranchisement documented
by photographers; and Oskar Eustis offers a brief history lesson on how
theaters have built communities since the Golden Age of Athens. Other
topics include the vibrancy and diversity of Muslim culture in America
during a time of rising Islamophobia; the strengthening of the common
good through the art and cultural heritages of indigenous communities;
digital data aggregation informing and influencing new art forms; and
the jazz lyricisms of a theater piece inspired by a composer’s two-month
coma.
Drawing on their experiences across the spectrum of the
arts, from the performing and visual arts to poetry and literature, the
contributors remind readers that the arts are everywhere and, in one
important way after another, they question, charge and change us. These
impassioned essays remind us of the human connections the arts can
forge―how we find each other through the arts, across the most difficult
divides, and how the arts can offer hope in the most challenging times.
What answer does this convocation offer to Are the Arts Essential? A resounding Yes.
