Culture | Smith sonian mag

Our Most Precious Heritage: A National Dialogue on the State of the Arts

The Secretary of the Smithsonian, David J. Skorton, M.D., asks: In a world that seems to be perpetually in crisis, do the arts still have a place in society today? What role does art play in feeding our collective soul, and how can it help us handle – even shed light on – the struggles of the modern era?

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Panelists

Rebecca Rabinow

Director of the Menil Collection

Peter Schjeldahl

Senior art critic at The New Yorker

María Magdalena Campos-Pons

Cuban-born artist

David Marcus

Theater artist and a senior contributor to The Federalist

Smithsonian Perspectives

Ai Wei Wei
Ai Wei Wei on Why Authoritarian Regimes Censor Art
In Conversation
Art Is Humanity’s Common Thread, Says the Director of the National Museum of African Art
Image Bank
Five Artists Who Will Help You Better Understand Challenges of the Modern World
Reading Room
Five Books That Expand Our Definition of What Art Can Be
Maya Freelon
How Artists Are Always at the Forefront of Political Change
Philanthropy
How Do the Arts Promote Social Change?
Sidedoor
Podcast: What It Takes to Paint a Portrait of a First Lady

Interviews

Erwin Wurm
Is it Still Great Art If No One Can See It?
Paul Ha
Why MIT Has an Art Museum
Don Thompson
Is There Too Much Money in Art?
Jay Nordlinger
What Does it Mean for Art to Be “Relevant”?
Stephanie Smith
How Does Art Propel People to Talk to One Another?
Human Origins
The Ancient Origins of Art

Resources

Education
Second Opinion: The State of the Arts Education Resources
Theater
Playwright Tom Stoppard’s 'Travesties' and the Meaning of Art
Vox Populi
How to Host Your Own Conversation About the State of the Arts

(Banner image: Nam June Paik, " Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii " Smithsonian American Art Museum, © Nam June Paik Estate, Gift of the artist)

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