An article in Newsweek has a great discussion on the importance of possessing creativity in order to function in today's fast paced world. Creativity is not just something the Fine Arts require, but also science, business, finance, politics and just about every other aspect of life. The article also goes on to criticize our education system for focusing on standardized tests and learning by memorization as means of killing creativity.
So perhaps as we look at the changing art landscape and complain about the loss of arts funding and educational arts funding, it is really the symptom of a larger problem. It's not just the arts, but creativity that's being killed. Or even when we overlook the problems in our education system, perhaps the arts no longer hold the monopoly on creativity. Technology now allows everyone to be creative. There are now blogs where anyone can be published, YouTube allows anyone to create a movie for all to see, and so forth and so on. The debate is no longer whether or not these people are professionals or amateurs - because they are going to be around forever now and with an important presence - but what is organized art's place in all of this.
I think the answer lies somewhere between finding the great stories and important voices among the cacophony of media and lifting them up for all to here. But also the arts will be a forum for everyone - blog writers, YouTube editors, and lay people - to come together in a common place and have a discussion about what is going on in the world at large are well as their individual worlds.
Happy Birthday:
Sir Patrick Steward (b. 1940)
Wole Soyinka (b. 1934)
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