This is More Important Than Avalon

I spent the weekend at a local arts festival.  Thousands of people came here to eat, listen to music, stroll the kids, walk the dogs, be with friends and wander up and down the aisles looking at artwork. Sadly though, once these artists roll out of town that’s it.  We only get to be artsy 2 days out of the year.  For all our great assets here, the cultural arts are strangely, clearly, sadly weak to non-existent. 

I think one reason the cultural arts are not vibrant here actually comes from a good intention – if that’s possible – that keeps us sidetracked.  I think we’re busy working our jobs or rushing the kids here and there.  But, we have this other need – a need for beauty and truth.  Those words refer to Keats by the way; the reading of whose words is an act of culture. We need to acknowledge our need for acts of culture. Some of us try to supplement this need by going shopping.  The local retail shopping experience is fun and good and something that refers to and draws upon culture, but it does not feed this need. 

The cultural arts - the stage, music, acting, visual art, dance, botanic gardens – are the medium through which we express and feed our need for truth and beauty.  This need transcends all socioeconomic strata – the need is human, not economic. We must insist on bringing it into our lives.  We owe ourselves the pleasure of being entertained by way of the mesmerizing creative spark of local musicians, artists, the stage.  We owe ourselves the thrill of having seen so much visual art that we begin to have a sense of what stands apart and makes some artists extraordinary.  We should watch so many live performances of people singing or playing cello or making any kind of music that we understand what musical talent clearly is not – in order to know what it is and the rare joy that comes from knowing you were there – you heard it.   We should walk about in gardens and quiet, green spaces so much that we know why some people use the word, “Sacred” in description.

To bring more culture and art here, one place to start is with local elected officials.  Tell them you want it.  If we don’t tell them, they won’t know.  The cultural arts have always depended upon the kindness of strangers via donors, patrons, grants and a capacitating community.  The cultural arts need, if nothing else, for local governments to be kind to them.  What form that takes is up to the voice of the community, but a community that values the cultural arts is a gracious community.

Please don’t let Alpharetta simply be known for shopping, mixed-use developments and redundant fiber-optic cables.  There’s more in you than that people.  We all have this inherent, infrangible need to see, create, and express beauty and truth. Let your need rush up from your heart into your mouth and into your voice.  Say you need it.