Kevin Spacey spoke this week at the 24th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. In a stimulating and thoughtful forty minutes, Spacey offers a brilliant and moving account of the arts' as a Pegasus, a fountain of possibility and opportunity for people in a world of struggle and torment. A question he repeatedly poses throughout the lecture about art, "So, does it matter?" is one I have recently been asking myself. I play guitar with a few different bands and enjoy making music, but with such pressing matters all around I question if that time wouldn't be better spent doing other things? Does it matter? Kevin Spacey, thank you for your valuable insights, they are an inspiration.
"Ask not what your country can do for the arts, ask what the arts can do for your country." Kevin Spacey, 4.4.2011
For the full video, which is not on Youtube yet, follow this link: Kevin Spacey @ the 24th Annual Nancy Hanks lecture.
You state you feel Kevin spacey is an inspiration with his speech, and then question "if it matters?" It is important to play your guitar and make music... so are there more important matters??why sure. As the artist uses his canvas, stage or whatever genre... he is expressing his creativity, sharing his gifts with those around him. The world needs that.. sharing our differences, our gifts, our possibilities..whether it be on a stage, in a frame, on a piano..or even in an alleyway...it all matters. There are alot of things wrong with our world, but there are also alot of things "right"...so I choose to focus on those things. It is in trying to do "the right thing" for the most part ...we cannot change the whole world (the tornados and natural disasters are doing a pretty good job at that)... but we can choose to do things right and stick up for that which we feel will benefit others as a whole. I have seen small deeds do great things. Never minimize what truly "matters"... go grab your guitar and make beautiful music...
ReplyDeleteSo nice to meet you...
Laurie
Thanks, Laurie, nice to meet you, too. I probably won't ever stop playing music, but I was just meaning to draw attention to Kevin Spacey's question "Does it Matter?" The answer is yes, it does matter, just some thing make me question how worthy it is, but I don't think those things have anything to do with the beauty of making music. It is beautiful regardless, I just get down sometimes.
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