Are the Arts Essential? - by Alberta Arthurs & Michael Diniscia (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Twenty-seven contributors--artists, cultural professionals, scholars, a journalist, grantmakers--were asked this question: 'Are the arts essential?' In response, they offer deep and challenging answers applying the lenses of the arts, and those of the sciences, the humanities, public policy, and philanthropy. Playing so many parts, situated in so many places, these writers illustrate the ubiquity of the arts and culture in the United States. They draw from the performing arts and the visual arts, from poetry and literature, and from culture in our everyday lived experiences. The arts, they remind readers, are everywhere, and--in one way and another--touch everyone"--

Book Synopsis

A timely and kaleidoscopic reflection on the importance of the arts in our society

In the midst of a devastating pandemic, as theaters, art galleries and museums, dance stages and concert halls shuttered their doors indefinitely and institutional funding for entertainment and culture evaporated almost overnight, a cohort of highly acclaimed scholars, artists, cultural critics, and a journalist sat down to ponder an urgent question: Are the arts essential?

Across twenty-five highly engaging essays, these luminaries join together to address this question and to share their own ideas, experiences, and ambitions for the arts. Darren Walker discusses the ideals of justice and fairness advanced through the arts; Mary Schmidt Campbell shows us how artists and cultural institutions helped New York overcome the economic crisis of the 1970s, bringing new investment and creativity to the city; Deborah Willis traces histories of oppression and disenfranchisement documented by photographers; and Oskar Eustis offers a brief history lesson on how theaters have built communities since the Golden Age of Athens. Other topics include the vibrancy and diversity of Muslim culture in America during a time of rising Islamophobia; the strengthening of the common good through the art and cultural heritages of indigenous communities; digital data aggregation informing and influencing new art forms; and the jazz lyricisms of a theater piece inspired by a composer's two-month coma.

Drawing on their experiences across the spectrum of the arts, from the performing and visual arts to poetry and literature, the contributors remind readers that the arts are everywhere and, in one important way after another, they question, charge and change us. These impassioned essays remind us of the human connections the arts can forge--how we find each other through the arts, across the most difficult divides, and how the arts can offer hope in the most challenging times.

What answer does this convocation offer to Are the Arts Essential? A resounding Yes.

Review Quotes

"A profoundly important and timely compilation. This book illustrates the ways in which the arts are urgent--from meeting societal needs, strengthening our communities, and benefiting individual lives, to engaging the sciences and relaying our histories to each other--while reinforcing the value of all of the arts. I loved reading this book and cannot recommend it more highly!"-- "Agnes Gund, President Emerita, Museum of Modern Art"

"Here is the book arts lovers and advocates have been waiting for--and just in the nick of time! This collection of inspiring, practical, and visionary essays shows how the arts can lead our nation's spiritual and economic revival and point the way towards a more just future."-- "David Henry Hwang, Tony Award-winning playwright"

"In this important collection, the editors gather a racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse group of more than two dozen eminent scholars, artists, professionals working in the field of arts and culture, and funders who support the arts. ... They argue forcefully for the importance of the arts in strengthening social ties, benefiting individuals, fostering community, engaging with the sciences, and recording and sharing human experiences .... A vigorous, timely, necessary defense of creativity."-- "Kirkus, STARRED Review"

"In this seminal collection, Arthurs and DiNiscia have gathered a remarkable group of artists and thinkers to reconsider the time-honored question of why the arts matter. While each essay is individually significant and could stand on its own, taken together, they are a treasure, amounting to a major statement of enormous import to our cultural moment today. Must reading for those of us who love the arts, and want to help them thrive in all of their multiplicity."-- "Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University"

"It is no spoiler to reveal that the answer to the book's title is a resounding 'yes.' However, the reasons the arts are essential are detailed in often unexpected and astonishing ways. The many essays by artists, advocates, philosophers, and professors are a welcome addition to the discussion and an artistic achievement in their own right."-- "Jane Alexander, Emmy Award-winning actress"

"That the answer to this book's title question is a resounding affirmative is no surprise...This is a valuable, often-compelling defense of the arts."-- "Choice"

"This important collection of essays addresses the fundamental importance of the arts to the lives of everyone on the planet. Artists never cease to offer hope, identity, aspiration and inspiration, and they constantly challenge us all."-- "Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director, Carnegie Hall"

About the Author

Alberta Arthurs (Editor)
Alberta Arthurs is a Senior Fellow of the John Brademas Center of New York University. As a consultant and commentator, she is active in culture, philanthropy, and higher education. She was the long-time Director for Arts and Humanities at the Rockefeller Foundation, and earlier served as President of Chatham College. She has written and published extensively, including as co-editor of Crossroads: Arts and Religion in American Life.

Michael DiNiscia (Editor)
Michael F. DiNiscia serves as Director of Research & Strategic Initiatives of the John Brademas Center of New York University. He is the co-editor of Are the Arts Essential?