Make America One Again…Through the Arts.
We stand as one. It’s in our name, it runs in our blood, it is proclaimed every time we reach new heights or pick up our neighbor when they’re down. The United States of America’s best attribute is our ability to stand together when we face triumph, and when we face defeat. Engrained in our founding documents is the notion that not only are we all equal, but that we stand as one nation, regardless of our differences.
For over 200 years, we have stayed united. Not even the bloodiest war our country has ever seen, against our own brothers and sisters, could separate what has become the leading nation in the world.
How do we visualize this unity? What do we rally behind when we stand together? How do we articulate the oneness of the United States?
Art.
From the buildings that define our physical presence designed by architects; to the National Anthem, written by a poet and made into music by everyone from the symphony to the voice student opening up a minor league baseball game; to the stories of our country’s pinnacle moments, acted out on stage and screen by actors of all ages; to the quintessential American symbol, the American Flag. First created by a passionate quilter the Flag has been forever stitched into uniforms, costumes, ties, hats, and jerseys by fashion designers; or placed on artwork, planes, ships, automobiles, and logos by artists and designers. Our unifying image for this great nation is itself a work of art, crafted by artists and leveraged to draw emotion, pride, and love for the connection that binds us all together as one.
The United States of America is made one through the arts.
We’ll see you all next week at the Democratic National Convention!
The 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio is underway. Through Thursday, July 21, the GOP will focus on a series of issues to be addressed by various party leaders, celebrities, and political figures, and ultimately will solidify Donald Trump’s nomination as the Republican candidate for President.
The Convention is held over four days, and each day the RNC has chosen a theme for the party to reflect on as it approves its party platform and its candidate. The themes are drawn from the campaign slogan used by the Trump campaign, “Make America Great Again”. The theme for each day is as follows:
Monday: Make America Safe Again
Tuesday: Make America Work Again
Wednesday: Make America First Again
Thursday: Make America One Again
We’ll be following the Republican Convention throughout the week, and the Democratic Convention next week, to see if / how the party platforms include the arts in their solutions to our country’s future.
With that in mind, we’ll be posting a new blog each day of each convention. For the Republican Convention, we’ve taken their daily themes and added “…Through the Arts” to demonstrate how the arts can address each day’s topic of choice.
