The Power of Art

by Jenny Blanchard

“If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, “society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him. We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.”  Those are not my words, but the words of President John F. Kennedy less than a month before he was assassinated. Kennedy gave the last major speech of his life at Amherst College, where he spoke at length about the role of art in a free society.

Considering these words, it’s obvious why, when Congress debated what kind of monument they would build to honor the slain president, the consensus was that it would be most appropriate to build a living memorial in the form of a world class arts center to honor Kennedy’s ideals. 

For more than 50 years, the Kennedy Center has served as the capital’s premier cultural center — until now. Donald Trump, who has no concept of the meaning of either art or culture, had his flunky board commandeer Kennedy’s memorial by renaming it in his own honor.

This move is much more than offensive; it is dangerous, as Trump has now vowed to oversee all programming at the newly named Center to ensure that it aligns with his vision of American culture and history. In short this represents nothing less than state censorship of free expression.

This is not the first time in human history that we have seen government overreach with respect to arts and culture. But what we can learn from history that it is often under the most repressive regimes, ranging from Nazi Germany to the McCarthy Era in the United States, that the arts respond most strongly. America’s artists have already resisted this latest attempt at dictating conformity in a hundred different ways. They have protested and they have refused to perform, to the point that the Kennedy Center will remain closed for two years, purportedly for renovations, but in reality, no one will agree to perform there! These artists will continue to speak out, and they will summon all their talent and creativity to tell the truth. There is no way that Trump and his lame attempt at branding America in his image can possibly compete with that. 

We have already witnessed cancellations in the lineup of major productions and refusals to perform from a host of artists. By refusing to perform at the newly named venue, the artists of the world have demonstrated that they are just as powerful, if not moreso in their silence.

My piano teacher once shared with me her response to individuals who support cuts in funding to support music education: “In that case, she replies, you can never listen to music again for the rest of your life.” You should see the panic-stricken expressions on people’s faces when they hear these words.

This is the power of art, whether you are Woody Guthrie or YoYo Ma, or you are a humble musician sharing your gifts with our own UU Congregation. As Kennedy said at Amherst, “The artist, however faithful to his personal vision of reality, becomes the last champion of the individual mind and sensibility against an intrusive society and an officious state.” Otherwise, the only art remaining will be the art of suppression.