Art balances a person’s education and well being.  Gazing upon a great piece of art can bring tranquility to one’s troubles.  It can also brighten your day and can make you wish you were rich enough to buy the very piece of artwork which attracts your attention.  Personally I have always loved the Mona Lisa.  I have a similar piece with a very tranquil woman but the eyes tend to follow …. my kids were deathly afraid of this piece and I had to store it until they left the nest.

The current dealers and art entrepreneurs have made millions in the economy’s Glory Days.  Now that those days have dwindled, they are singing the "woe is me" song.  Art is important in this world, but the stability of our country and of our citizens is more important right now.  The art world will recover as will our economy but it will take time.  Then again millions will be made in the art world.  Time will go on and so will art.

 for 4 decades now we have lived the life of art.

Husband was/is a painter (before the dreaded Alz.) he painted from age 6 to about 8 years ago.

He was wining ribbons in all major shows, had a gallery in San Francisco, won the title Commandeur in Brussels, yet it was a life of feast and famine. No regrets here. That is what he wanted to do and I supported him 100 %.
He never went commercial when most went into prints. He saw no value in a print with a signature with high prices. He only sold originals. 

The artist will ALWAYS stay an artist and create, they can’t help it BUT it is up to the rest of us to try and support an artist especially in this economy. 

Check out a gallery this week end, find something which will get your soul fed , see if you can squeeze it into your budget.

I have never known a moment of my life without the Arts being part of it.  And, my late husband, who was a Depression kid, would often speak of the fact that when he was a boy in the school system, it never occurred to them to cut back Arts in the schools.  It was considered much too important.  And, as a result of that basic exposure to them, he went on to become one of Ky’s most beloved performers in Musical Theatre.

Our symphonies and opera companies all over the country are in terrible trouble.  The Metropolitan Opera, the National Symphony are cutting back their schedules.  Orchestras are cutting back their salaries.  Even the Philadelphia Philarmonic is having grave problems.  I sit on a board of directors of a development organization for the Uof Ky School of Music, and just yesterday, we were being told of the serious, critical trouble our scholarship programs are in. 

When we had the Depression, FDR was very aware of the important role that the Arts play in the American Life and Conscience.  And, that is why, when he signed in the New Deal, the Arts were upheld in it.  They provide us our balance and civility.  I would hope that as we progress with this economic package that the Arts are remembered.

SO: when I started work at a very high level company several years ago, which has an extensive and fantastic art collection, I was waiting for the elevator and there were three framed peices of what appeared to be white paper, with the artist’s name in the little box on the side.  I made the comment at that point to my boss that I probably could have done the same thing by just heading out to Michael’s for about $50 (frame included).  She told me those pictures had been bought for well over $10K each!

I don’t pretend to understand art all that well, I’m more into music.  But c’mon!  $30K for peices of white paper?

That being said (and again, maybe I just don’t understand art), the arts will survive.  Pablo Picasso painted extensively not only during the Depression but WWII as well.  And as EKA mentioned, we have a treasure trove of work from the Depression in all forms of art.

We need our arts now more than ever… I’m off to Michael’s :)!