Does It Matter?

Published on July 19, 2011 by Discussion Cafe

“It is the artist that can best speak of a nation's desires and hopes and dreams. It is the artist who can move mountains with words and song and sweat and blood and dance and inflict pain on tyrants with knowledge, truth, and wisdom. It is the artist.”
-Kevin Spacey, Nancy Hanks Lecture 2011

Context:
When budget cuts are issued, it seems that the arts are usually the first to go. Many
understand the arts as an expendable frivolity that has little actual consequence.
Funds are dwindling nationally for arts programs, including ones that help our
youth discover their voices in a number of ways. Increasingly, the arts are available
only to the privileged few. In the face of economic downturn and critically
underfunded arts programs, we must demonstrate the power and importance of the
arts in answer to the question, “Does it matter?”

Video:
Watch these clips from Kevin Spacey’s inspiring speech at the Arts Advocacy Day
2011 at the Kennedy Center.

• Clip 1
• Clip 2

(Click here to watch the full version.)


Discuss:

1. In your experiences with the arts, can you think of particular instances that have been defining and important to your personal growth?
2. What are some examples of the arts positively effecting society?
3. How is exposure to the arts during youth an important experience?
4. What would happen to a society without art?
5. What can we as individuals do to insure the revitalization of arts and culture within our communities?