It's amusing to me that in this country, art is often dismissed as unimportant or a waste of time; that artists are seen as flaky, unreliable, or lazy. Amusing because it's not true. Art is actually quite important, and has the power to change peoples' minds across the globe.

The government knows it, too.

During the Cold War, the CIA secretly supported and funded shows of Abstract Expressionism to promote an image of American cultural superiority. The artists involved were kept in the dark. Even though many of them were Communists and anarchists, Nevertheless, their careers benefited. And so did the country. For the first time in history, America took the lead as the artistic vanguard.

The wealthy patrons who cooperated with the CIA's programs, like Nelson Rockefeller, the board of New York's MOMA, invested in these young artists for patriotic reasons (and no doubt for personal profit.) It reminds me of LA's Museum of Contemporary Art. In the 90s, when I knew someone on that board, the minimum "buy in" to join was $250k. But the perk was steering which artists would be featured, which came in handy when one was trying to increase the value of one's own art investments.

In a perfect world that I design, this same government and wealthy tier of patrons would offer more support to artists and the arts. They'd actively promote the value of arts in general, the hard work of our labor, and the importance of the arts to our national image. In the absence of that, I choose to create art as a passion and a profession, and to support others who do the same. And I strive to produce work would ever be considered as a CIA asset!

All this to say that art IS important. Not just to us artists. It's important to our country, to the world. If you're on my list, I'm preaching to the choir. But if you ever need encouragement in your lonely creativity, you can always reach out to me! I'll remind you that you're a cultural hero.

So that's what I was thinking about on our nation's 250th birthday…

With love and light,

Maggie

Art Heals

I'm a huge fan of fluffy animal art. It's my version of scrolling kitten videos on Facebook. This work was created by Holly Guertin, as part of her felted wool lamb series. She also creates embroidery pieces that reflect patterns in Nature. For someone like me, who paints about the hard stuff, these kinds of artworks offer soothing contrast. I just want to pet this art!

P.S. If you'd like to work with me, check out www.parrcreate.com for upcoming workshops, online classes, and private instruction and mentoring. I have an in-person painting workshop and two online classes coming up soon!