Skip to main content

Open the Door



I’ve been holding on to this exchange from Twitter for a while now.


I’m sharing it today because I’ve been thinking a lot about accessibility. How much is lost when whole chunks of our society don’t receive access to the essentials for physical and emotional growth? Talent and genius can be anywhere. But they need fertile ground to develop. They need nourishment.

You might think I’m going to segue now into more talk about schools, but I’m not. What’s on my mind this morning is about how crucial it is to make the arts accessible to all in Columbia/Howard County. So often the arts are the playground of the well-to-do. The more that money is the key that unlocks arts experiences, the more that audiences will be white and affluent.

But will future artists come only from this limited segment of our population? And can community support of the arts be sustained in a vibrant, multicultural community like Columbia/Howard County if it speaks only to one audience?

This is just one of the reasons that I’m so proud to be associated with the Inner Arbor Trust/Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods. During each season since they have opened they’ve offered a selection of events which have included ones that are either free or low cost. And their programming ranges from classical to jazz to kid’s events to culturally diverse offerings such as Cultura Plenera and Mystic India.

In short, the park is living the mission of Columbia by who it aims to reach. The arts are for
everyone. Not to harp on that picture book too much, but anyone who has consistently attended events at the Chrysalis instinctively knows that “all are welcome here.”

Accessibility to the arts isn’t simply about growing more artists and arts audiences. The arts promote a strong sense of community. They foster a sense of belonging and empowerment. The arts connect with many, many other disciplines by so many tiny threads that a free ticket to a concert may also open a door to many other amazing dreams.

The arts offer a chance to believe. This opportunity should not be reserved solely for the wealthy.

While we need to make accessibility to food, housing, education, health care (and mental health care) a priority for those who struggle, we also need to prioritize accessibility to the arts. Music, visual art, dance, and drama feed brains and souls and hearts.  They reach out to the genius which is there but is as yet undiscovered.

 "We created ways for people to care more deeply about one another, to stimulate, encourage, release creativity, minimize intolerance and bigotry." - - James Rouse







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
Post a Comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
Post a Comment
Read more