US Secretary for Arts and Culture

[pameladlloyd]

Via shuttergal: Quincy says

Interesting - it had never even occurred to me!
A US Secretary for Arts and Culture?
Please consider signing this petition: Quincy Jones has started a petition to ask President-Elect Obama to appoint a Secretary of the Arts. While many other countries have had Ministers of Art or Culture for centuries, The United States has never created such a position. We in the arts need this and the country needs the arts--now more than ever. Please take a moment to sign this important petition and then pass it on to your friends and colleagues.

I agree that our government needs to support the arts better, although I wonder how people would react, given our current economic situation. Still, it's worth supporting and may help get a step closer. My signature brought the total to 120324.

Comments

Why?

[marycatelli]

What is this Secretary for? What will he do?

One thing he will not do is support "the arts." He can, at most, support some of them.

Re: Why?

[pdlloyd.livejournal.com]

Among other things, I found the Bush administration's focus on standardized testing at the expense of artistic, cultural, and physical education to be extremely shortsighted and detrimental to the overall health and well-being of our kids and our society.

I agree that "the arts" is a pretty big and diverse category, and that it's unlikely that everything in the category will get full support, but I still think a Secretary of Arts and Culture would be a step in the right direction. Creating such a post would be a visible symbol of a commitment to the arts that has been sadly lacking in our nation. Just as the surgeon general is "the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the U.S." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgeon_General), I would expect a Secretary of the Arts and Culture to be a spokesperson who is part of a media campaign to encourage the general populace to develop a greater appreciation for the arts and an understanding of the ways that they support and encourage students' academic subjects, as well as someone who would work within the government to demonstrate that the arts provide benefits to our society deserving of support.

Re: Why?

[crinklequirk.livejournal.com]

Nicely stated. :)

Not to mention, even here in Minnesota (as arts-oriented as we have always been) we only appointed our first State Poet/Poet laureate this past year. We also voted support for clean and healthy lakes/rivers/water systems and the arts into our state Constitution this past fall.

I think the momentum is there - we just have to push a little to take advantage of it. :)

*jaunts off to sign petition*

Re: Why?

[pdlloyd.livejournal.com]

Go Minnesota! Go crinkequirk! :-D

Re: Why?

[crinklequirk.livejournal.com]

:)

130194, that's me

(Comcast finally got their act together so I can be online again. Had tv, but not internet. Funny how it's the day things warm up that they have problems, not when it's -40F windchill. . . .)

Re: Why?

[pdlloyd.livejournal.com]

130194

Yay!

RE Comcast: It's one of the mysteries of cable. :/