Recent discussions and pending decisions regarding the government budget leave funding for the arts in limbo. If we care about a nation that’s both compassionate and creative; if we care about opportunities for young people, innovation, intellectual achievement, and our dignity as a national, then it is clear we cannot allow the arts to fall… Read more »
Remarkable things happen when you allow yourself to become fully engaged with creating art or performing music. At every level, you learn how little things make big things happen. The arts allow you to experience things from a global perspective and to bring real world meaning to basic knowledge and skills.
About 20 years ago I met a young musician who told me a story I’ll never forget. If you have ever wondered about the value of the arts—especially the process of performing music, dance, or theater, or making visual art—her story shows how the arts provide an opportunity to learn how to live a more… Read more »
December is a month of contrasts. While it’s a time filled with the hustle and bustle of holiday activities, it also brings us the stillness and colder, darker, shorter days of the winter season.
Whether you live in an area with spectacular transformations or one with more modest changes brought about in the fall, this changing season tends to trigger all sorts of memories and a wide range of feelings.
As we prepare to take part in elections that will soon be held across the country, I think it’s important to consider the impact of the choices we make on the future of the arts—both public sector and arts education.
The Olympic games regularly display the culture of the host country. Artists are featured in opening ceremonies, the works of local artists are displayed throughout the Olympic Village and city, and official posters are reflective of the creativity of the host country. But most people are unaware that in the first four decades of the… Read more »
As another school year begins, I think it’s important for everyone to look more deeply into the value of learning through the arts.
I thought I’d share some thoughts about musical pattern, proportion, and structure in light of the hot topic of alleged music plagiarism that seems to be prevalent nowadays, most recently the case filed against Led Zeppelin and the opening bars of the hit “Stairway to Heaven.”
As we head into summer, it’s the perfect time to pause and consider the opportunities of Arts Awareness thinking.
Have you ever wondered where artists get their ideas? What might seem like a mystery is actually thinking that comes from life experiences, feelings, and the environment.
It’s spring! Have you noticed the feeling of anticipation and movement in the air? This is the time of year when you might get the urge to declutter your living and work spaces. For many, it’s a time of hope for new beginnings.
When you take the time to appreciate the Arizona landscape, you discover creative spaces you may have never before imagined. The experience is one that’s available to all of us all the time in any location.
As you walk through the many museums in Arizona, you learn that the history and cultures of Native American people of the area are inseparable from their expression as artists. From various symbols to geometric designs, there are similarities that inspire you to want to learn more.
Happy New Year! Perhaps similar to your own experiences, I found myself at the end of 2015 reflecting on the past year and new year simultaneously. Instead of resolutions and lists of changes, I considered the potential of the creative process found in the arts.
It’s inspiring, especially at this time of year, to see and experience the creative efforts of people who exhibit at arts and crafts fairs across the country. I recently strolled through Fountain Festival of Arts and Crafts in Fountain Hills, Arizona.
It’s an exciting time for me. My book—Arts Awareness: A Fieldbook for Awakening Creative Consciousness in Everyday Life—is now available. For many years, I’ve kept notes about a wide variety of experiences in the arts.
The recent Phoenix Symphony Orchestra performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, was an important reminder for everyone present of the value and beauty of contrast.
I recently learned of an installation and theater artist—Anne Patterson—who not only moves beyond traditional artistic boundaries but uses her gifts to create spectacular and innovative artistic experiences for audiences.
At first glance the three 28-foot-high metal-riveted wooden doors appear to struggle to stand in place, leaning against each other for support. As you approach, your understanding of the precariously perched structure changes over to an image of balance and strength.
