The Importance of the Arts

Sam Gappmayer, the new FAC CEO, spelled out his top five reasons the arts are important at his welcome reception last month.

• The arts function as a metaphorical town square where people can gather and discuss the issues relative to their time and place. Shared experiences in the arts pull us together as communities and provide a basis from which we can work together.
• Our participation in the arts sensitizes us to the needs of others. They help us see those around us with a greater degree of empathy and compassion and make us more effective in addressing pressing societal needs.
• Through the arts we are both challenged and reaffirmed in our core values. The result is an ongoing process that enlarges individuals and expands our capacity as communities.
• The arts feed the soul. Dr. Martin Luther King once said that while roads and bridges make us a civilization, the arts make us civilized. They provide an element to life that defies description and, without which, we would be poorer.
• Involvement in the arts encourages creative thinking and opens the door to new solutions and approaches.

So what do you think ... why are the arts important to you, especially in these challenging times?