Published: Issue 1, Summer 2009

Why here? I believe that our collective American conscious is starved for a more meaningful conversation about culture and the arts and their places in the public sphere. Each of us play a role in developing culture: as the member of a symphony orchestra; as the parent in the audience of a child’s school play; as the critical constituent of a policymaker; as the engrossed reader of the grocery-store tabloids; as the passerby on a crowded city sidewalk. We are all culture-makers, as Arlene Goldbard discusses in her “Special Report” essay, America’s Cultural Recovery, whether we want to be or not.

But are we all arts-makers? For those of us who have studied slam poetry, classical music, theatre, hip-hop, ballet, photomontage, or any artistic discipline (see the artwork of Dudley Cocke, Erin McElroy, Nat Soti and others), we are artists who are constantly exploring the tools that help us do our work. Still, many of us find it difficult at times to embrace our artistic lens, like Jasmine shares in her Editor’s note. Some of us will make a career in the arts; many will not. Similarly, some of us will make a career out of economics or public policy and many will not. Yet, economics, policy and the arts collide with each other (see Brandon Woolf’s column) and as a result, our government and our citizenry must engage in interdisciplinary work linking the arts with policy, or else the United States risks losing her ability to make lasting, truthful, compassionate connections both at home and abroad. In our “Dialogue” section, you will find interviews with artists and activists like Judy Baca, Eric Lewis, Ayelet Waldman, and Jeff Chang who bring creativity to communities across our nation and enliven a deeper conversation with the White House. Ultimately, we may not all define ourselves as arts-makers, but we can each discuss constructively and thoughtfully our individual roles as arts patrons, arts advocates, arts supporters, and arts policymakers.

Why now? I am hopeful for the future of arts and cultural policy, but I am not fooled. As I write, I am reminded of my incredible opportunity to work on arts and economic development issues for former Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. At that time (2004-2007), I discovered that I was one of only a handful of staffers on Capitol Hill with a background in the arts, working on arts issues. But I believed that my position was a step forward because I was one small voice for the arts community. In our “TAP*MAP” section, you will read thoughts from individuals like Ann Markusen and Mike Latvis, who add complexity and resonance to this important dialogue.

There is much work to be done. Every profession commands a unique vocabulary and the field of arts politics is no different, a topic paramount to each issue of The Arts Politic (see Ardath Goldstein Weaver’s Creativity and Connectivity). Interrogating the connective tissue between arts and politics, as Randy Martin’s “EndNote” accomplishes, will unearth new possibilities. Perhaps now is the time to bring our tools, ideas, and experiences together to create a better conversation. In “Remembering,” we look back to honor the work of Augusto Boal and Mary Perry Stone. In this issue, we also look towards the future.

The Arts Politic is excited to bring artists and activists, policymakers and constituents, scholars and leaders together. If not now, how & when will artists and policymakers be any better prepared to work together? Fifty years from now? One hundred years from now? We are willing and prepared to help expedite that change. We encourage you to come along.

Danielle Evelyn Kline, Executive Editor