Art Matters

Defining and communicating the value of arts and culture is the single biggest challenge faced today for the field and the leaders of cultural institutions. This surprises me because humans have been creating art since humans were human - art seems to be an innate part of our existence. We began creating art and documenting our experiences by etching, painting, or blowing a mouthful of pigment around an outstretched hand, pressed against a cave wall. We continue to create aesthetic contributions and innovate new ways of artistic expression. Clearly art matters. To face the challenge today we must do more to answer the question, “Why does art matter?” 

Looking at, and more importantly, learning about the art one is looking at, has enormous value. Lifetime value. Art has the ability to teach, to make connections between disparate views of the world, to engage our minds, to develop empathy, to communicate without words. CS Lewis writes on the value of art, “We want to be more than ourselves. Each of us by nature sees the whole world from one point of view with a perspective and a selectiveness peculiar to himself... we want to see with other eyes, to imagine with other imaginations, to feel with other hearts, as well as with our own… my own eyes are not enough for me, I will see through those of others.”  Art and culture provide a function for enriching life and developing the qualities that can improve society by doing just what CS Lewis pointed out – viewing the world from the perspective of another. 

"...we want to see with other eyes, to imagine with other imaginations, to feel with other hearts... my own eyes are not enough for me, I will see through those of others." - CS Lewis

Art is a way of experiencing the world around us. For something to have value, it must make a difference in the world. Many artists use their art to bring awareness, to initiate change, to express new ideas and ways of thinking; the viewer then is confronted with these topics and is invited to consider and respond. The artist’s intention doesn’t have to be so intellectually or philosophically deep to create a response. Part of the human condition is to simply enjoy beauty. We may not agree on what is beautiful, but nevertheless, we can consider and respond. In an increasingly fast paced society, art calls us to slow down, to ponder our own existence and that of others, to derive meaning from our experiences. This endeavor is available to all regardless of class, race, age, or gender. In fulfilling our need for intellectual, social, and cultural stimulation, art then makes us fully alive and united. 

"In an increasingly fast-paced society, art calls us to slow down, to ponder our own existence and that of others, to derive meaning from our experiences". 

I think that we can always place more importance on the Arts. Our involvement with art can be casual or formal, we can approach art knowing little or a great deal. Those who approach art with a simple, “I like it,” or, “I don’t like it”, or “I could do that!,” or don’t even consider art at all, are missing out on the riches that art provides one’s existence. My dad is not inclined to the arts. I took him to a museum for the first time when he was 59 years old. Not being sure if he would be bored or uninterested, we walked through the Kimbell Art Museum’s permanent collection and talked about the artwork. At the end he was thrilled by the experience and remarked, ”That was awesome.” And that’s valuable.