As we all carefully assess every penny we spend, it seems counter-intuitive to spend precious dollars on art -something that at first glance seems so trivial.
Here are just a few reasons why we must continue to purchase art and support artists during this difficult economic downturn.
- Art brings hope in desperate times.
- Art stimulates creativity - exactly what we need to jumpstart our economy.
- Art brings joy in sorrow.
- Art is a form of therapeutic expression that aids the emotional state of those that have suffered trauma.
- The creative process is healing and life affirming.
- Art provides a therapeutic and creative outlet for pent up emotions and hurtful feelings that are too painful to express verbally.
- Often traumatic events that have been buried deep in the subconscious
will surface through art. Once the emotions have been released
healing can then begin to take place.
- Besides helping to improve mental and emotional health art can increase self-awareness, cognitive abilities, reduce stress and assist in healing the emotional effects of traumatic experiences.
- Art is GREEN - it utilizes brainpower - not toxic waste.
- Artists need more that creativity to survive.
Alison Bernstein says this:
Throughout our history, artists in the U.S. have utilized their
skills as a vehicle to illuminate the human condition, contribute to
the vitality of their communities and to the broader aesthetic
landscape, as well as to promote social change and democratic dialogue.
Artists have also helped us interpret our past, define the present, and
imagine the future. In spite of these significant contributions,
there's been an inadequate set of support structures to help artists,
especially younger, more marginal or controversial ones, to realize
their best work. Many artists have struggled and continue to struggle
to make ends meet. They often lack adequate resources for health care
coverage, housing, and for space to make their work. Still, public as
well as private funding for artists has been an uneven, often limited
source of support even in the best of times economically.
Compounding these material problems is the fact that the public
often views the profession of "artist" as not serious. The way artists
earn a living may seem frivolous, and artists are often seen as
indulging in their own passions and desires which bear no relation to
the everyday experiences of most workers. This too contributes to a
devaluing of the artist as a citizen with the same rights and
responsibilities as everyone else.
"Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it."
-- Berthold Brecht
"When you give money to artists, you are yourself doing an artists work"
-- Vincent Van Gogh
Whan you buy a copy of "Beauty Is Calling" you are helping shape the destiny of young artists' around the world. All the proceeds go to Kalein, "A Center for Creative Studies".
