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Obama has an Arts Policy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This really is history in the making. Instead of disdaining the arts as too elitist, or merely keeping the subject at arm’s length, the President-elect’s website actually has an arts position paper.
A few choice lines:
“The arts embody the American spirit of self-definition.”
“To remain competitive in the global economy, America needs to reinvigorate the kind of creativity and innovation that has made this country great. To do so, we must nourish our children’s creative skills. In addition to giving our children the science and math skills they need to compete in the new global context, we should also encourage the ability to think creatively that comes from a meaningful arts education.”
“Unfortunately, many school districts are cutting instructional time for art and music education. Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that the arts should be a central part of effective teaching and learning….”
The policy calls for increased funding of the National Endowment for the Arts — one of the few tangible proposals — and says, “As president, Barack Obama will use the bully pulpit and the example he will set in the White House to promote the importance of arts and arts education in America.”
Click here to read the whole thing.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: Classical Music
Comments
By kathleen poe
November 5, 2008 1:26 PM | Link to this
Thanks for posting this, Pierre. I’m encouraged to see the AJC covering/mentioning this aspect of the election. I’m glad you’re keeping an eye out for the culture-lovers of Atlanta. Here’s to positive changes for arts education and funding during the Obama administration!
By Brad As
November 5, 2008 6:13 PM | Link to this
Yay! More government spending! Hurray!!! Oh, aren’t we broke? Who is willing to pay for this? Not me. I am a teacher and I wouldn’t pay for this crap we are mandated to teach nor for the caliber of teachers that are my colleagues. Throw more money at it. History proves that doesn’t work. Please name an instance where it has. Please! Write them a check Pierre. Be a good little socialist KoolAid drinker. If arts are to survive, shouldn’t they learn to compete in a capitalist society instead of being kept alive in an artificial life support system that breeds mediocrity? Or, is that the new standard?
By Pi$$onaDAWG
November 5, 2008 6:27 PM | Link to this
Please! Is Obama going to bring the troops home to NO JOBS? Where is this money coming from to look at ART? Wall Street was so happy that it dropped 500 points. SAVE me BNIC save ME!
By Peter Stelling
November 7, 2008 12:42 AM | Link to this
Oh, please, give me a break. Our “former” AJC music critic is now assigned to write articles on the potential arts policies of the new administration in Washington to come, and we haven’t had a review, either in print or online, of the Atlanta Symphony since the shamefully patronizing column that appeared after the opening concert at the end of September? What does that say about our hometown newspaper and its policy on the arts? The magnificent program presented tonight in Symphony Hall certainly deserved comment by our local journalists. I have been told that Pierre still uses his seats at these concerts, but he is apparently no longer paid to write about them. How can this happen in a so-called “international city”? The second in a series of four programs entitled “American Originals” featured violinist Joshua Bell in a lyrical and virtuosic performance of Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto. His ethereal rendition of the highly romantic second movement prompted an unusual spontaneous outburst of between movement applause from a first night audience that would normally rather die than break with recognized concert etiquette. How refreshing! The program began with a totally idiomatic reading of Aaron Copland’s lovely ballet suite, Appalachian Spring. The second half treated the ASO audience to a rousing performance of Bela Bartok’s expatriate swan song, the Concerto for Orchestra. When you hear this interpretation of the eerie third movement, you might swear you have seen bats swooping out of the top balcony. Maestro Spano is absolutely in his element in this repertoire and gets everything our superb orchestra has to give out of these pieces. I highly recommend the repeat performances of this program on Friday and Saturday nights to anyone looking for quality entertainment this weekend!