At the minimum, you should value everyone, as they all have a place in life. But it is the artists that seem to get the raw deal.
We build huge monuments to our sports ‘gods’, but seem to put in second place our cultural icons. We pay them very little and show them little respect.
These are people who bring harmony to our lives: peace and contemplation—the ability to enjoy in solitude, the magic of art.
I find art beneficial and it puts it in perspective how life has meaning. I don’t find the need to get fired up at sports contests. In fact, after a long, long, stay in an emergency room, I fail to understand the reasons that people would need to go out and get injured playing sport.
Artists are underpaid, and have a hard time being in the spotlight where they belong to be. Is it that only after death that they become famous and how many do not achieve that level of fame? Sure, some of the ones that do achieve fame usually come along with a huge amount of luggage. Whitely and Pollack to name a few.
Let me get to the art galleries that dot our towns and cities. I don’t mean the large state and federal ones, but the smaller ones that live in country towns. These need to be institutions for the people of the town and the artists that influence our lives. These are great buildings that can tell our stories, through the people that live out their lives in these towns.
I find in our town the call of sport has been a great detractor to the cultural needs of our city. We have no qualms about spending multi-millions (abet with grants to help) to build sports precincts and bike tracks, but to ask for an art gallery and the community goes up in arms. I do not need these sports facilities and If I need a dose of exercise I can go for a walk. On the other hand, if I need to have my mind relax I need my art gallery and art.
I often chose to leave town for this respite, but should I? There is no reason that we can’t have something of this value here as well.
So, I believe now is the time to get to writing grants and lobbying the federal and state governments to get onside and make this a reality. All towns should look after the health of all citizens.
Remember to LOVE LIFE!!