ART MATTERS
In my opinion simple: because we help each other to understand how much account!
But although there are many artists at the national and international level, there are also many people who share the love for art, appreciate it, understand it deeply and know how important the arts are in their diversity. Below, I thought I’d give you some quotes from great artists, exhibition curators, critics and art historians that argue “why the arts matter”.
“Art matters because I learn something about people and places that I would never have known otherwise. The arts make my brain and heart stretch to make room for newness. Sometimes parts of me are replaced and inhabited by wiser things. And that’s a good thing.” – Victoria Hutter
“Art matters because it illustrates the human experience—its wonder, its bewilderment, its capriciousness, and so much more. We would not be so deeply connected without the existence of art.” – Kathleen Dinsmore
“The arts matter because they don’t provide a mutual space where we can talk to each other about the things that matter most to us. It can turn strangers into old friends with a lot in common.” – Maryrose Flanigan
“Art matters because art is meant to move people either intellectually or emotionally. Whether it’s a book that stays with you days later, a show that moves you spiritually, or a song that makes you look at the world around you in a different way. The purpose of art is to provoke a reaction, and with this purpose it can create a synergy of change; changing attitudes, perceptions and thoughts.” – Catherine Brookes
The arts matter because without them, our strong emotions, our vital voices, our energy to groove and the necessary empathy and life-affirming connection and tendency toward complexity might wither from disuse, perhaps even destroy us through use. wrong. The arts matter because we matter with them.” – Amy Stolls
“There is a quote by Vladimir Nabokov that says: ‘There is, it would seem, in the dimensional scale of the world a kind of delicate meeting place between imagination and knowledge, a point reached by diminishing the great and enlarging the small that is intrinsically artistic.” I’ve had this quote on my desk for days after seeing it used as an epigram to a James Lasdun poem, and I have to confess, I can’t paraphrase what it means (which I’d say is a sign of great art). But the sentence is beautiful, and the cloud of ignorance that hangs over me reminds me why I love art. Often with art I feel like I’m talking to someone who knows something I don’t, something I wish I knew. Art stretches me, challenges me, and makes me think and feel. I am a curious person and I want to know. Art is where huge concepts like love and war are distilled for us to reckon with, or small things like a flower are given to all. And similar but different to Nabokov’s thinking, things become dimensioned with great art. Money, power, status are overvalued so easily and quickly, and things like relationships, beliefs or even happiness, the things of art that make life worth living are devalued in our world that constantly pushes us towards isolation. Art gives us a reality check on what is really happening and what could happen if we cooperated. As a society, where imagination and knowledge meet is where we want to start.” – Sidney Smith.
ART MATTERS
“Art matters because we matter, and our stories matter. We are miracle workers, walking creators engaging in a cosmic dance. The art we express is timeless.” – Mohamed Sheriff
“Art matters because it helps us see the world from different perspectives. They give us empathy and help us understand people, places, periods of history, and issues that we might not otherwise be familiar with. They comfort us in pain and energize us in celebration. They are important because they can act as a catalyst for change… they can start a revolution! The arts ignite something in our brains that I can’t explain, but I know is essential to life.” – Jennie Terman
“The arts matter because they allow an individual a platform to express their unique creativity to/with the world.” – Monica Waters
“The arts matter because they allow us to express ourselves and illustrate the world around us in a different light, helping us gain understanding, build communities and give hope.” – Kelly Rogowski
“The arts matter because they are like a gift from one soul to another – whether it’s a joyful, simple gift like a child’s drawing, or a play or a novel that makes you think and hurt and you also want to feel, the arts help us understand ourselves and each other.” – Carrie Holbo
“The arts matter because they provide a unique space for self-assertion and reflection.” – Carlos Arrien
“Art matters because creativity is an infinite and enduring resource, one that can be tapped into in the most joyous as well as the most challenging of times. The arts strengthen community bonds, create new means of connection and understanding, and provide an ongoing, strong and resilient source of individual and collective identity.” –Sarah Burford