| Art and The Human Spirit by William Edelen
My mind/brain has been bathing lately in the glory of art and the human spirit. Several events contributed to this joy. On my KPSL (1010 am) radio show Edelen's World, I recently had Mrs. Fred Waring (Virginia) as my guest. The show is an hour long, from 11:00 a.m. until noon on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Virginia and I used the entire hour to talk about the arts in her life, as well as her late husband. We also talked about the importance of the arts in America today, the present climate being what it is. And then, in a very synchronistic way, I received a letter from a good friend of mine in Santa Fe, New Mexico and one of the great artists of the Southwest. He is 85 years young and had come down with a bad cold and so missed the wonderful Taos exhibition that is now at our Museum in Palm Springs. My friend and Peter Hurd grew up together in New Mexico; Peter was his closest friend. In the letter he talked about Peter's wife, Henriette (Andrew Wyeth's sister) and how she still runs the family ranch in southern New Mexico, and is an outstanding artist in her own right. My life has been filled lately with art and the human spirit: Wyeth, Hurd, Waring, the Legendary Artists of Taos: Bert Phillipa, Ernest Blumenschein, Catherine Critcher, Dorothy Brett, and Nicholai Fechin. My life also seems to have been enriched with music lately; conversations with Steve Allen about music on my radio show, and the music from two unique and brilliant artists have filled my study for the last several days: the Grammy Award- winning Also Sprach Zarathustra (my KPSL theme) by Deodato and Planet Drum by the scholarly and splendid percussionist for the Grateful Dead, Mickey Hart (who is on the Board of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.). Winston Churchill was asked during WWII whether he'd consider scrapping the country's arts budget. It is reported that Churchill stared at the questioner, and then yelled, "My God ... my God ... NO. What have we been fighting for?" Art is not only a reflection of the depth of the human spirit, but also a reflection of that mystery in the universe that we call "spirit." All great art is a reflection of the values of our human species, or a nation, a state, a community. The Renaissance at its best took seriously the sacredness of the human being and the contribution of great art, music and literature (the humanities) to human and cultural enrichment. Great art should not be confined to the inside of museums and churches. When placed outside on the plazas and sidewalks of cities it can become a source of pride and identification, or even the symbol for a community. A perfect example is Grand Rapids, Michigan. Alexander Calder, pre-eminent American sculptor of the 20th century, did La Grande Vitesse (the "great swiftness") for the downtown City Hall plaza. It is known all over the world for Grand Rapids, Michigan. When Gerald Ford became President, the New York Times Magazine did not put a picture of Gerald Ford on their cover, but they chose a brilliant color picture of the red Calder sculpture, La Grande Vitesse. Why? Because Grand Rapids was the home of Gerald Ford. That city is now known all over the world by a piece of modern sculpture. Lewis Mumford, the social philosopher of Stanford University, made an observation that has long played upon my mind: "A community whose life is not irrigated by art and philosophy, day upon day, is a community that exists only half alive. The fundamental values of a true community are to be found in poetry, art, music and the free use of the imagination, the pursuit of non-utilitarian activities, the production of non-profit-making goods, the enjoyment of non-consumable wealth. Here are the sustaining values of a living culture." During the growth of the months and years ahead, this enchanted Coachella Valley must never lose sight of those fundamental values that define a true community . . . and a living culture. William Edelen is a lecturer in the Palm Springs area and hosts Edelen's World Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:00 a.m. KPSL – Star Power 1010 AM Talk Radio.
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