We Need Art

                                                        The World Needs Art


Tonight, I attended a gathering in support of Art. A building downtown has sold, and another Art Gallery is being pushed out, probably to make way for another (insert heavy, heavy sarcasm) mortgage or Real Estate office. 

My mother is an artist, and my father is a wood-making artist. I have a sister who is not only a culinary artist but also a master seamstress and another who is a pianist, flutist, dancer, and performer. I also have two brothers-in-law (one a former) who are musicians. I am a writer. I come from a family of creators. We were taught young to appreciate art.

I grew up in St George, Utah. I loved going downtown and checking out the shops. I won a contest in elementary school and got to paint a picture on one of the store windows. Art was appreciated and encouraged. 

I moved away and experienced life in Idaho and Washington State. Due to personal circumstances, I moved back to southern Utah in 2009. Downtown was a destination. On the first Friday of every month, there was an Art Walk. (Frankly, the first time I went, I thought it could benefit from a bit of wine tasting and snacks.) It was community, people gathering, talking, and appreciating the arts. It progressed to include live music, vendors, and food trucks. It was something to look forward to. And then the city stopped doing it. :( 

The city stopped celebrating the arts and forgot the downtown experience. They forgot that we are a tourist attraction, and tourists do not need to see a Real Estate office or a Mortgage business in every building. As a tourist, you want to experience a true Downtown. This means you want to visit art galleries, mom-and-pop bakeries, restaurants, and local creation shops. If they need anything to do with Real Estate, they can do that online. Move those buildings to the second floor. Keep the downtown experience alive.

What we need is art. In this dire phase of wondering what the hell will happen next, we need moments that enlighten us. We need art, music, dancing, good food, words that take our breath away, community and creativity. 

We need art.










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