Support the Arts-and Why?

I noticed an ad in my social media feed showing Joe Biden asking for money to help support his election campaign. He said something like “Come on, man!” and probably something else, but it was too late, I already lost interest in what he said. Last night I saw an ad with Donald Trump trying to sell a Bible with a reprint of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in it to help support his campaign, but it was too too late. I already lost interest in what he said. Both sales pitches will undoubtedly have tongues wagging and conspiracies jumping, and that made me decide to throw my financial pleading hat into the ring of public affairs, right here inside The Church. mine is not a plea to support political campaigns of dying dinosaurs who wish to be President this November, mine is for a plea to support the arts, and my reasons why.

I recall years ago, one of my ex-wives summarizing the career field of art as providing little more than ‘arts and crafts kid’s game’ to society. She saw no real value in art, or at least, didn’t want to admit any of its worth in front of our children. A real stinger to the ego and on the surface, I get her point. In a Dystopian society, art skills are going to be way down the list of necessities people would need to survive. But art does a number of things for each of us on a personal level, and as a community, and as a world and I will touch on this to help promote the career I’ve held my entire life.

Art brings reference and history to the world. Some of the earliest cave drawings let us know what types of animals roamed in various areas around the globe during pre-historic times on Earth. The Great Egyptian empires used pictograph writing, as did the Mezzo-American societies, to document rulers, gods and mysteries of their eras, Their time capsule for the future generations to interpret and study were engraved on their buildings.

Before cameras were prevalent on everyone’s phone, artists like Charles Audubon and Fredrick Remington gave the world its first glimpse of flora and fauna of the New World. Henry Carter illustrated Gray’s Anatomy, which was the medical/surgical Bible since it’s release in 1858, giving accurate visual aids to help to doctors and students of their profession.

Religious books of human spiritual reverence help communicate philosophies and myths through visual interpretation and portraiture. It brings insight to understanding foreign customs and religious concepts with visual aids. Priceless books, like The Book of Kells, are revered for their calligraphic art and expressive tone that bring us insight into Irish Christianity of the 9th Century. The vivid illustrations of the Bhagavad Gita, the multiple artistic outfits of Kachinas worshiped by the Zuni and Hopi of southwest America, the calming beauty of stained glass images in a cathedral. Art can provide an expressive description to complex manifestations, in regards to religion and spirituality.

Art is a primal communicator that taps into our psyche and rubs it in various ways. It’s a skill that’s honed and toyed with and worked on to reach a state of perfection that can never be obtained by millions upon millions of humans that are afflicted with this blessing/curse. It ranks low on the survival scale of skills needed for a successful society, yet all societies, from the most advanced high tech cities of the world, to the most primal tribes living in the Amazon, all have art. Always have, always will.

Support artists.