Art is what turns existence into experience.

It’s the thread running through every so-called necessity. It shapes the decisions we make, the things we build, the stories we share. It’s not the opposite of survival—it’s the expression of it.

I believe that art is not a luxury. art is not just nice aesthetics that you buy to make rooms look less depressing. it is not home decor. it is not the third dessert. it is the main course — that creative source which feeds our lives. art is direct access to truth and beauty — a way of seeing that makes life worth living in this difficult,... See more

The public money has dried up, in other words, but so has a whole lot of the private money. You might not have noticed the ramifications quite yet, but you will. It’s in the increasingly ardent pleas from your local NPR station, of course, but it’s also just absence: the film festival or day camp or curated exhibition or concert series that just... See more