Lexington, KY - The subject of my column - the intersection of art and the economy - has recently taken a hard hit.
Why write about art for a business journal, when, for some, these two worlds seem never to relate, other than to buy and sell art?
Not long ago, I committed to a series of interviews for Business Lexington with arts-friendly businesses in and around the central Kentucky region. At the time, the goal was crystal clear: to introduce new voices, more opinions, and a fresh perspective into the community dialogue about art.
The artists with whom I have spoken love the idea, particularly if it means highlighting some of their works in regional collections and encourages others to understand the value of buying original artwork. Business leaders like it too - those willing to speak up - for obvious reasons, perhaps.
A new imperative has emerged, one that now seems relatively urgent in this moment of crisis and that might require us to rethink the structure of these interviews as well as the goal.
The first point is simple: that we must somehow take advantage of this crisis, collecting our energies now and preparing for a competitive edge into the recovery. The second point is a bit more challenging: that we may need to look beyond traditional forms of art and create a place where abnormal can thrive.
Collect our energies
The upcoming series of interviews will allow us to collect our energies provided we have well-rounded participation. Many arts-friendly business leaders have already stepped forward, willing to share their views, their collections and the other ways in which they engage the arts. This participation is vital, but we will need more.
Each month, one interview will appear verbatim in the pages of Business Lexington accompanied by a podcast on bizlex.com. As many of you may already know, we have a place for your direct feedback online.
I would like to use this feedback to guide my line of questioning for subsequent interviews.
Where abnormal can thrive
Art, perhaps in some unknown form, will lead the way from this recession, as it has from recessions past.
Now is the time to pose the tough questions, such as these: What does it really mean to support the arts? Do the arts actually need supporting? What modes and forms of artistic expression are needed to sustain this community? What forms of artistic expression are accepted or rejected?
I wonder if we can we look hard at our shortcomings and long at our talents?
Is our business community flexible enough in character to take an interest in and embrace what turns others on, to grasp broader concepts, opening minds, eyes and ears to a range of artistic expression? Can we become comfortable about democratizing the arts, and refrain from suffocating human creativity in service to provincial thinking?
Can we encourage new forms of artistic expression, or are we stuck in the traditional modes of thinking about art?
Making an effort as a community to look deeper would make it possible for us to engage art more fully.
This series of interviews is not intended to illuminate trendsetters, tastemakers, or those in the know. The goal is to reveal our collective concepts of just how our city expresses itself.
Given all of the discussions that have taken place in recent years in committees, task forces, visioning processes and the like, it's very clear that many who hold Lexington dear as both home and place of work or profession have a deep desire to claim our position as a place where critical thinking, creativity and open minds are encouraged and nurtured.
I believe firmly that as a result of the current economic downturn, a new energy will form in a place least expected, provided that this place accepts the subjective - the "abnormal."
Lexington, a city that has changed much in recent years, is one of those places. Much of our city's leadership is not from here. We have welcomed thousands of talented professionals into our community and they have brought with them sophisticated, urbane expectations of how the arts are viewed in their newfound home. That's a good thing.
Now, it's time to begin tapping into those energies and see what takes shape as the result.
I hope you will join me in this endeavor. Sure, the economy is in crisis. Let's take full advantage of it.