So, today the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities named 26 nominees to this largely ceremonial post. Which is cool because, hey! It's honestly thrilling to see a guy so busy trying to find a large enough tow truck to pull the US economic bus out of the ditch give even a passing nod towards something so crucial (to some of us) as the Arts and Humanities. And the Honorary Chairman of the PCAH is First Lady Michelle Obama, a lovely, genuine human being with larger issues on her agenda. Please don't suppose that I suppose Barack and Michelle Obama stayed up late over the course of several nights agonizing over this list like a State dinner seating chart, because I'm not, quite, that stupid. However.
I've read over the official list, and can't help but notice that the roster reads more-or-less thusly: actor, actor, actor, actor, cellist, architect, playwright, jazz underwriter, film producer, Senator's wife, Senator's billionairess wife, Editor in Chief of VOGUE (I kid you not), ballet dancer and publicist. There are a lot of names, but none of them belong to visual artists, museum directors, gallery owners or, indeed, anyone who huffs paint fumes, cuts mats, welds or chisels for a living. By the way, a BOATLOAD of visual artists were on board for our current President during the election campaign that ended one short year ago.
Speaking from long and expensive experience, the "Arts" and "Humanities" include visual art. (If there are some new definitions of these words, I am going to attempt to retroactively sue a few undergraduate programs for my BFA.) Making visual art, studying visual art and preserving visual art are the lives' works of some US citizens who deserve both respect and recognition. As mentioned, these are largely ceremonial posts ... but how's about a tiny hat tip to the discipline solely devoted to one of our five senses on the next go-round, PCAH?
Comments
You know, this just confirms my nagging suspicion that the visual arts are failing to ‘matter’ in contemporary culture. Is it because a painting lacks the power to cut through the noise? Somehow the visual language of the ‘old fashioned’ arts of sculpture, painting and printmaking seems to be increasingly irrelevant. Like Latin: widely acknowledged as a worthwhile endeavor, but find me someone who actually speaks it.
I’ll be delighted if you can persuade me otherwise.
I just looked at the committee list . . . what exactly were the requirements for being selected?? This is pathetic.