That's exactly what happens in Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. In the novel, most of the civilization is wiped out by the Georgia Flu. The story goes back and forth between before the flu and the world after it. In the world after the flu, surviving is all anyone can really think about, but the Traveling Symphony believes there is more to living than just mere survival. The Traveling Symphony is a caravan of actors and musicians who go town to town playing music and performing Shakespearian plays. They believe in the importance of art.
Reading a book about a civilization that was almost completely wiped out by a horrible sickness but still believes in the power and the importance of art got me thinking, "How important does our very own civilization think art is?"
Everywhere I go, I see and hear art. Art is on the walls of buildings, coming from the radios of our cars, and on the faces of women (and even some men) in the form of make-up. It's everywhere!
Check out this TedTalk given by art historian, curator, and writer, Katerina Gregos who talks about the importance of art in today's society.
One thing Katerina Gregos mentions is how it's hard to convince politicians to give art programs good funding. It seems like the first thing to go in a budget cut is the arts. In fact, President Trump has recently proposed budget cuts to several programs including arts, humanities, and public media (see full article here). All funds that would go to these programs would now be invested in defense and homeland security.
Now, of course, I am in no way opposed to living in a safe and secure country. However, I am opposed to eliminating the arts, humanities, and public media. As Katerina Gregos said, art is a means of expression and a way to exercise our first amendment right. When the government starts to take away these programs, they start to take away our voices.
Other than being a great way to express yourself and a way to exercise freedom of speech, art has many other fantastic benefits. In an article titled "The Mental Health Benefits of Art Are for Everyone", Deane Alban gives the following reasons why art is so beneficial:
- Creating art relieves stress
- Art encourages creative thinking
- Art boosts self-esteem and provides a sense of accomplishment
- Art increases brain connectivity and plasticity
- Art lessons make children better students for life
- Art increases empathy, tolerance, and feelings of love
- Art improves quality of life for Dementia patients
- Art eases the burden of chronic health conditions
As you can see, art is pretty awesome and is so much more than just something to look at or to listen to. In my own personal experiences, I can say that I may not have made it through some very rough times if it wasn't for the music I listened to and I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who can say the same. I mean, we all have that band we feel we owe our lives to, right?
Imagine, one day, it's all gone. There's no more music, no more paintings, no more artists. Horrible, I know. When it comes to convincing the government of how important art is, though, it might just take a Station Eleven situation to do it.
No comments:
Post a Comment