DJ Funkhouser (and I’ve always wanted to use that name) wrote an article for the Indiana Daily Student yesterday, questioning the necessity of a Secretary of Culture under Obama. Quoting Quincy Jones, Funkhouser states:
“Art carries such a large spiritual benefit that ‘spirituality is just as important as military defense,’ Jones said.
With all due respect to the man who produced ‘Thriller,’ that is ridiculous – art is not an essential need. And right now the government’s purse isn’t big enough to cover the true essential needs of its citizens.”
That it didn’t create more of a comment-frenzy (at this time there was only one, albeit one very vocally opposed to the editorial) comes as a surprise, since Indiana has a really outstanding vocal program in the US. The Hoosier state has produced the likes of Kurt Vonnegut and Ayun Halliday (and is also the state I’ll remember fondly for giving me a “Warning” for driving too slow on I-80).
Sure, the arts aren’t on the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but if you’re talking needs beyond food, water, shelter, and protection…then absolutely you need music, theatre, dance, visuals. They’re a source of self-esteem, a way for people to band as a community. The ancient Greeks had them, for f–k’s sake. And Obama’s interest in the arts–from Yo Yo Ma and co. performing at the inauguration to Michelle serving on the board of the Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago to the couple’s first date at the Art Institute of Chicago to the first family’s appearance at the Kennedy Center earlier this year (to say nothing of Rahm Emanuel’s initial dreams of becoming a ballerino)–suggests that we may have a more culturally-conscious Commander in Chief.
The Obamas at the Kennedy Center, Photo Courtesy of Politicaljunkie-Marie.blogspot.com
The LA Times Blog also mentioned that the Washington Opera (under the artistic directorship of Placido Domingo…whatever that means since Domingo is everywhere at once these days) is already courting Obama. WNO executive director Mark Weinstein points out that a presidential appearance at the opera would show that the art form is “for everybody, and not an elitist form.” Amen to that.
As companies go under and individuals lose their livelihoods, they’re still looking for that mind-nourishment they get from a Baryshnikov, a Boticelli, or a Borodin. Can they continue to finance them? No, and that’s where a Secretary of Culture would come in. Europe, despite being in dire straits like the rest of us, continues to be a hotbed of culture thanks to government funding. And I’d rather fund an opera company in Anchorage than a mom with octuplets whose doctor who was a little lax on his hippocratic oath.
