Working Together…Through the Arts
When we approach a problem, we look for a solution. And more often than not, the solution involves more than one item. “I need hammer and a nail,” or “I need lunch and a nap.”
When we tackle some of our biggest issues as a nation, we look for multiple approaches to find a solution. We gather experts, conduct research, and take multiple variables into consideration. Our solutions typically are just as multi-faceted as the issues themselves. Rarely does one solution fix all of the problem.
That’s where the discussion in the arts industry is heading too. The focus now? “Arts AND _________”.
Fill in the blank with anything – Arts & Healthcare, Arts & Veterans, Arts & Education, Arts & Community, Arts & Infrastructure. We’re starting to look at how the arts can work together with other industry to overcome huge obstacles in our society.
The goal here isn’t to focus solely on the arts, rather it’s viewing the arts as a part of the solution. How can the arts help reduce repeat offenders in juvenille prisons? How can the arts help a rural community thrive? These are all questions our industry is considering as we move forward in the 21st century.
The arts are a tool in our nation’s toolbox and we need to start learning how to use them effectively by working together with every other sector.
The 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania begins today. Through Thursday, July 28, the Democratic Party will focus on a series of issues to be addressed by various party leaders, celebrities, and political figures, and ultimately will solidify Hillary Clinton’s nomination as the Democratic candidate for President.
The Convention is held over four days, and each day the DNC has chosen a theme for the party to reflect on as it approves its party platform and its candidate. The theme for each day is as follows:
Monday: United Together
Tuesday: A Lifetime of Fighting for Children and Families
Wednesday: Working Together
Thursday: Stronger Together
We’ll be following the Democratic Convention throughout the 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 the convention. For the Democratic 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.
(You can read our posts from the Republican National Convention here, here, here, and here.)
