Aboard the Artrain

Why is it that in times of plenty, we forget how important art is for survival and nourishment, but in hard times we turn to it not just for beauty and aesthetic reasons, but also to help get us through the day? Why is our collective memory so short? American governments, past and present, insist that they have no money to spend on ‘luxuries’, as they erroneously label the arts when things are booming. But in recession and depression, they sometimes remember that art not only comforts and feeds the soul, but can also bring in customers, and indeed, can help a whole business community recover in an economic downturn. Arts projects in communities give artists work, yes, but they do so much more: they help rebuild communities, turn around decaying neighborhoods, bring business to surrounding areas, and often provide badly needed education programs for children and other citizens who might otherwise be disenfranchised. They earn their way; they work – a lesson we seem to have to learn and re-learn.