The arts

A few weeks ago, my godson took me to the Kennedy Center in DC to see Tick Tick Boom. I am so honored to be invited and teary eyed to see him grow up and be such a gem. This is an understatement.

Walking through the new exhibit hall before the show, I was struck by the fact that I hadn’t realized JFK had started the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

When I think of JFK, I usually think of the moon landing or the Peace Corp- themes of renewal, new beginnings and growth, like yesterday’s daffodils. 

The NEA, specifically, since its launch in 1965, has played a significant role in supporting the arts across the US, fostering public engagement, education, and access to the arts. On the macro scale, the arts and culture sector NEA funding helps support contributes hundreds of billions to the U.S. economy annually and supports millions of jobs. The NEA gives people, regardless of their location or economic status, access to the arts.  This is important because studies have shown that engagement with the arts in education leads to better academic outcomes, higher career goals, and more civic engagement.

On the micro scale are the moments we are profoundly inspired or changed by arts, however unquantifiable those moments are in our own growth. If you’re unsure what arts are in your area, the Neighborhood Guide GPT in the trio of Moving Assistance Assistants from earlier this year,

https://chat.openai.com/g/g-StMIMGE9Q-neighborhood-guide-generator, can help.

A sample prompt type you can type in there is

“Please list 25 of the museums, performance spaces, and galleries and music halls within 25 miles of <your zipcode or town name>”

Hope you find some art to go experience to inspire you this spring.