BrattleboroCitizens'Breakfast January18,2013 GibsonAikenCenterBrattleboroVT TheSystemicImpactoftheArts Presenter:KateAndersonMember,TownArtsCommittee jandkandc@yahoo.com Katebeganwiththepropositionthatartisthemostbasichumanlanguage.Shereferenced theNationalEndowmentfortheArts(NEA)researchagenda,sayingthatitregardedtheartsas input.Shethenprovidedthreefocalpointsforherpresentation: HowArtWorks theGreekParthenon theconceptofinitiative Regardingthislastitem,shequippedthatherdaughterwasoncedescribedbyaMontessori educatorashavingasenseofinitiativethatisuncontrollable.

le. Initiative: ReflectingonthetimeshelivedinEurope,KatenotedthatmuchthatisdoneinEuropeisby pattern,butwithinthearts,thereisunbridledinitiative,producingamagnificentsoupBy contrast,thissenseofinitiativeintheArtsismuchmorelimitedintheUnitedStates.thereare manyreasons,butattemptingtoexistinamarketbasedstructurehasahugeinfluence. TheideaoftheartsasinputcanbeillustratedbytheexampleoftheParthenon.The20 secondlessoninGreekhistoryisthatPersianssackedAthensandPericlesdecidedtorebuild theAcropolistomakeastatementaboutthegloryofAthens.Theeconomicoutlaywas staggeringtheAtheniansvaluedtheircivicpride. AsPericlesisquoted,"Ourpolitydoesnotcopythelawsofneighboringstateswearerathera patterntoothersthanimitatorsourselves.1 AllmannerofmathematicalandarchitecturalskillswereneededinthebuildingoftheParthenon. Andnotonlyarchitects,sculptorsandpainters,butadministrationandartisticvisionaswell. Sculptureswereseenassymbolisingthetriumphofreasonoveranimalpassionand representingtheidealinhabitantsofthecitystate.Atheniansweredepictedasvigoroushealthy

Itsadministrationfavoursthemanyinsteadofthefewthisiswhyitiscalledademocracy.Ifwelook tothelaws,theyaffordequaljusticetoallintheirprivatedifferencesifnosocialstanding,advancementin publiclifefallstoreputationforcapacity,classconsiderationsnotbeingallowedtointerferewithmeritnor againdoespovertybartheway,ifamanisabletoservethestate,heisnothinderedbytheobscurityofhis condition.Thucydides,ThePeloponnesianWar,BookII,37,(NewYork:TheModernLibrary,1951)p. 104

people,lookeduponwithfavorbythegods.Thefocus,however,wasthepeopleoverthegods. Notonecolumnoftheedificeisperpendicular,yetitdoesnotconveyasenseofheaviness,but ratheroneofgraceandbeauty.TheWingedVictory2 isanexampleofapatternwhichwasset bytheclassicalGreeks.Seeninisolation,itcouldjustaseasilybethoughttobeanexampleof Renaissanceart. HowArtWorks3 istheNationalEndowmentfortheArts(NEA)fiveyearresearchagenda.It mightbenotedthatwhiletheartsaresupportedbytaxesinmuchofEurope,thisisnotthecase intheUS.TheNEAbudgetrepresentsjustaboutonehourofthemilitarybudget.TheSystems Map,reproducedonpage11ofthereport,givesaschemaforlookingatthebenefitsofarttothe individualandtothesocietyandshowshowinteractionsamongsegmentsofthesocietyare vital.RecallingthattheParthenoncouldnothavehappenedwithoutcollaboration,themap attemptstofillinthegapsbyprovidingaclearvisualtooltoarticulatethevalueofartespecially byincludingqualityoflifeandbroadersocietalimpactswithinthemap.Tofundtheartsbasedon areturnoninvestment(ROI)mentalityisatravesty.Thenotionthattheartshavetobeargued fortheirvalueisstupefying.Whatcanwedoaboutit?KateandDougCoxhavetriedworkingat itindifferentways: expandingappreciationacrossallsegmentsofsocietyhorizontallyandincommon withall theschoolsdoagreatjobbutthereisthethreatoflossoffunding withaproperinfrastructure,theartscanthrive TheArtsSystemMapshowsthewaytosharetheartsatthecoreofcommunitylifeitisthe humanimpulsetocreateandexpress.Weneedanagora4 tomeetandtalkthroughthese things. QuestionsandAnswers: SomepossibleexamplesoftownsthathavegottenbeyondstuckincludetheBerkshires, Paducah(KY),Chattanooga(TN),Toronto(Canada),somecoworkingartsincubatorswith subsidizedrents,buttheequationisnotwelldefined.

2 3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nike_of_Samothrake_Louvre_Ma2369_n4.jpg http://www.nea.gov/research/HowArtWorks/HowArtWorks.pdf

agoraInancientGreekcities,anopenspacethatservedasameetinggroundforvarious activitiesofthecitizens.connotesboththeassemblyofthepeopleaswellasthephysical settingitwasappliedbytheclassicalGreeksofthe5thcenturyBCtowhattheyregardedasa typicalfeatureoftheirlife:theirdailyreligious,political,judicial,social,andcommercialactivity.

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"agora." Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Online Library Edition. Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. <http://library.eb.com/eb/article-9004058>

SomedifferencesbetweentheUSmarketbasedeconomyandtheEuropeanmodelisthe recognitionthatartbydefinitionisnotmarketbased.Itcanthavetheconstraintsimposedbythe question,Willitsell?ArtistheR&Doflifeandrequiresaninfrastructure.Aconcreteexample inEuropeisthefactthatartisintegraltodailylife. Anotherparticipantnotedthathowwetalkaboutourcommunityreflectshowweseeourselves. Anexampleisthereferencetothesocalledmalfunctionjunction,whichisthePlazaPark Intersection,recallingthetimethetowntookanareawithnomarketableuseandmadeitintoa park.Thisledtothereflectionthatartisaboutperception,boththatoftheartistandtheviewer. Perceptioniskeyforabetterconversation. Thereisadivisioninourmindsbetweentheartsandpracticallife,duetothewaywelabelthe parts,accordingtoanotherparticipant.AtTownMeeting,wetalkaboutmoneyandtaxesand forgetwhatwearebuyingwithtaxmoney.Wewantabiggerbangforthebuck.Everybuilding dependsonmakinggoodjointsinthebeamsandrafters.Allkindsoffabricationsgointo successfulventures. TheWindhamRegionalCommissionsrecentcharetteonaestheticcriteriaforthereplacement oftheI91bridgeisanexample.5 ItwasperhapsthefirsttimethatVTransutilizedaestheticsas partofthebidselectionprocess.Hereaestheticswouldaccountfor20%ofonehalfoftheinput criteria.6 Thisparticipantalsonotedwithappreciationtheworkerwhosnowplowshisstreetwithout knockingdownthemailboxestheartofsnowplowing! AfinalcommentdealtwiththeparadoxofinitiativeinEurope.Whiletherewereplaceswhere patternswerereveredandmaintainedtokeepasenseoforder,thetheaterwasaplacewhere initiativewasnotatallboxedin.7 Thereisnoperfectworldorequation.Perhapstheevidence thatEuropecouldnotcontainherdaughtersinitiativeisthatsheisnowafineartsmajor, interestedinviolin,drawing,writing,photographyandisastiltwalker.8

Report:RecommendedAestheticCriteriafortheReplacementI91BridgeOvertheWestRiver http://windhamregional.org/news/232reportaestheticcriteria 6 LocalsevaluatingI91bridgeplanswitheyetowardaesthetics,BrattleboroReformer(VT)Friday, December7,2012 7 cf:TrailerRigolettohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZYouPgbnqM

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TreasuresinDowntownBrattleboro!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pk5zr8wDB4