More and more, I am realizing that we need art to survive. The phrase worked in two ways: We need art to survive for our personal enrichment and enjoyment. We need art to survive for its own longevity, so it can be around for us and those who come after us.
Deborah Rutter believes living an "artful life" is essential to well-being. The former president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts said that means recognizing that everything that makes daily life beautiful - from the music playing in the grocery store to the architecture of the buildings along your commute - exists because of artists. "I have a personal belief that artists hold up a mirror to who we are as human beings and who our society is," Rutter said. "Our artists are telling the story of what's happening today. They are the truth-tellers."