Art is a form of communication that shows us deeper meanings within the subject of the work. We all can benefit from seeing more deeply and understanding more deeply. It makes us more open and tolerant and creative. It helps us solve our problems more efficiently. It keeps our minds young. It is entertaining and keeps us from all being the same. It keeps us from being boring. If we didn’t have art, we’d have to invent it, or the species would die out.
Art, as I define it, is more important than anything else. There is art to every activity we engage in. Art means doing something very well. If you don’t do it well, you can’t compete. You don’t live to pass on your genes. In the future, today’s most creative people will be the ancestors of everyone on the planet. It is a most unwise choice when people and government’s stop funding the arts during economic downturns. It’s like deliberately tying one leg up so you can’t use it.