Lower West SC News

Joe Biden recently signed an Executive Order reinstating the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities (PCAH). The PCAH works with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences to maintain both the preservation of cultural treasures and help support new artistic endeavors across the country.

So why is this good news? For starters, the previous administration gutted these institutions, claiming it was wasteful spending. But a healthy arts culture is essential to a healthy society – not to mention, democracy.

Paintings, literature, music and other art forms speak a language that transcends everyday interactions. It can express things no other medium can. And with that, it can move hearts and minds – in both good (and bad: see Leni Riefenstahl) directions.

Consider classic paintings like Picasso’s “Guernica.” This massive piece depicted the 1937 bombing by the Nazis of the Spanish town of the same name. It raised worldwide awareness of the Spanish Civil War and was used to raise funds.

The Oscar-winning 1930 film adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s novel All Quiet On the Western Front (a frank look at the brutality of WWI) so enraged pre-Nazi Joseph Goebbels that he helped orchestrate mobs to disrupt screenings in Germany (a 2022 version was recently released).

Art has power. It helps us see different perspectives and lives different from our own. When we can’t quite understand the experiences of a different group intellectually, art can move us on another level – and open up a tiny crack of awareness. Star Trek actor George Takei of created a play, Allegiance, about his family’s experience in the Japanese internment camps. It’s set to start its London run shortly.

When people argue that encouraging and supporting culture at the federal level is a waste of money, think in of it being a unique and essential form of diplomacy. Art is “soft power” at its best.

In a time when it’s nearly impossible to have civil discussions with fellow citizens about -- well, almost anything – art can be the mediator. It reveals our common interests. As a music fan, to me one of the great moments in America’s celebration of the arts was the 2012 Kennedy Center honoring of Led Zeppelin. No matter what side of the political fence you’re on, if you’re a fan of Zep, you could come together over this epic presentation. And that’s a place to start in coming together on other things. Because after you’ve just had a lively appreciation of “The Immigrant Song” over a few beers, it’s just a downer to start snapping at each other over immigration policy.

So, after a period where the federal commitment to the arts went “dark,” it’s heartening to see the Biden administration restoring this important thread in the fabric of our country. In 2022, the National Endowment for the Arts distributed almost $278 million, a tiny fraction of the federal budget. And worth every penny to keep our culture and our democracy thriving.

What’s the art scene like in your community? Do you think the arts needs more funding in your area?  How are arts in your local schools faring?  Tell us what’s going on!

Cindy Grogan is a writer, lover of history and "Star Trek" (TOS), and hardcore politics junkie. There was that one time she campaigned for Gerald Ford (yikes), but ever since, she's been devoted to Democratic and progressive policies.

Original source can be found here.