Earth Without Art

My sister posted an interesting quote on her Facebook page today: "The Earth without 'art' is just 'eh'." Well, isn't that the truth?

I derive so much pleasure and joy from the arts and it is an essential part of my life. Last night, I watched a performance of Les Miserables at the Kennedy Center. It's the third time I've seen the show performed live, but I've listened to the music soundtrack countless times. There are so many artistic elements of Les Mis to appreciate -- the music, the lyrics, the vocals, the staging, the costumes. It's a blending of so many artistic mediums into one beautiful masterpiece.

As public schools struggle to keep academic programs going and keep more teachers in classrooms, K-12 arts programs are often first on the chopping block for budget cuts. It breaks my heart to think that future artists, writers, composers, singers, musicians, and designers might miss their opportunity for greatness and pursue a career of expression, because access to free arts classes was unavailable to them.

A world without art sounds intolerable and soulless. Now that I can afford it, I try to financially support local art galleries, programs and performances to help pave a way for future artists, like sculptor Richard MacDonald and the composers of Les Miserables, to delight art aficionados like myself for years to come.