Welcome to our online journal making various and sundry comments on the arts at the spur of the moment. Check in here for spontaneous contributions from a variety of perspectives on the arts – we'll include quotations from materials we're reading, from conversations we're having, and just sharing thoughts and news about the work of the institute and the world of the arts.
Margaret Mertz, Executive Director
(unless noted otherwise, all postings are mine)
Note: these remarks written as the keynote address for this event.
ScottCares Foundation
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Scholarship & Humanitarian Awards Gala
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Dr. Margaret S. Mertz
Executive Director, Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts
The Artist's Path, Lit by the Torch of Passion
Thank you, Scott, for those kind words. I am honored by this opportunity to speak with this audience who gathers here tonight to recognize the contributions of the humanitarian award winners, and to celebrate the 8 young artists who are recipients of the 2008 ScottCares Foundation scholarships.
Rebecca, Jordan, Laura, Ryan, Bryce, Sasha, Abbey, and Amanda, these words come to you from my heart. And while I have been thinking of what to say to you, the image (and the metaphor) of the flame has been my guiding light. Each of you, as young artists, holds within you the flickering, intense flame of your passion for your work. That flame is your most precious possession, and needs fuel as well as oxygen, to burn brightly and light your way forward. We gather here tonight to acknowledge that flame within you, and to set you on your pathway forward.
Two flames, in particular, stand as images to carry with you in your minds.
The first is a work of art. Located on the12 acre Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. I didn't know until I wrote this speech about the last three words of the title of this magnificent sculpture 'enlightening the world'.
The second represents a ritual ceremony, tracing its roots back to ancient Greek culture. The Olympic Flame or Torch has its origins in ancient Greece, when a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. For the ancient Greeks, fire had divine connotations — it was thought to have been stolen from the gods by Prometheus. Therefore, fire was also present at many of the sanctuaries in Olympia, Greece. A fire permanently burned on the altar of Hestia in Olympia, Greece. During the Olympic Games, which honored Zeus, additional fires were lit at his temple and that of his wife, Hera. The modern Olympic flame is ignited at the site where the temple of Hera used to stand.
What will your artwork be? What will it mean? What content will provide the fuel for your flame? What I know is that it will be many things. At times, it will be art purely for the sake of creating something beautiful to share with an audience. At others, it will be art that speaks to our need for entertainment – and if you're lucky, it may even make some money!! And there will be other ways that you will use your artistic talent and your skills. Your ability to tell stories will allow the rest of us to see and understand our global responsibilities, such as social justice and equal rights, universal healthcare, the alleviation of poverty, food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, care for the environment, and peace for the world.
And who will be your audience? You are living in the 21st century, which gives you access to the massive technological advances of our age. Through the communications powered by the Internet, your work may reach to every country around the globe. Facebook and MySpace and YouTube and whatever is next to come, will allow your audience to find you, and for you to find your audience. This global network will be anchored by particular people who you will know deeply and face to face, but your flame will also reach those whom you may never know. And one of the magical powers of the artist is to make these connections and help us to know that we are a community more like each other than distinctions of culture and geography might imply. That flame you carry holds no distinctions of race or class or culture or gender. The artist makes things that transcend all boundaries and speak to the soul within.
Where will your home be? There are all possibilities, from the excitement of New York and Los Angeles, Singapore and Stockholm, Santiago and Sydney, to Istanbul and Johannesburg. Your journey may take you to anyone of these cultural meccas or more. But remember that in this day and age, you can make your home in any place. Last Saturday, at the North Carolina School of the Arts graduation, I listened to the sculptor Jesus Moroles tell the story of his home and sculpture studio in Rockport, Texas. But Jesus Moroles will unveil a new sculpture at site of the Beijing Olympics this summer. Each of you comes from Winston Salem, your own city of the arts. Part of the fuel that will keep your flame burning comes from the people who have been part of your lives so far – use that fuel as part of what you bring to your work.
Do not be afraid to take up your artist's journey – you will be a prized possession in any community, even if you are not a professional artist for your whole life. Why is this?
What you have already deeply ingrained within your souls are:
• a sensitivity to the world around you,
• a self-discipline that comes from devotion to your work,
• a vision of making the world a better and more beautiful place, and
• a technical skill that allows the rest of the world to stand back and say
"I never saw/heard/touched/tasted/felt/understood" what was possible before we experienced your artwork or performance.
That creative spirit - it's 95% hard work learning your craft, and 5% an ability to see beyond what actually is to what could be, what possibilities surround us. You are about to embark upon the intensive training of your artistic craft – in music, in writing, in visual art, in film, in drama. Use the fuel of your compassion and awareness to meet with the oxygen of your artistic craft so to keep your creative spirit burning brightly,
And finally, let me repeat the mantra that I share with all the artists I have the great fortune to work with here in Winston-Salem, across the country and around the world. There is no free money. All money comes with some strings attached – money from your parents, grandparents and family is tied to meeting their expectations for you. Money from public funds is tied to the community's expectations for you, whether it is your local arts council or the National Endowment for the Arts. Money from private individuals, foundations and corporations has to meet their expectations as well.
ScottCares Foundation is a tangible example of money tied to a mission and goals. The four pillars that the Foundation stands firmly on help drive their mission of embracing the arts while teaching and promoting computer literacy and technology. Each pillar represents an area that we hold dear to our hearts, and provide support of whether it's through our enrichment programs, awards and honors, or through volunteer service hours to the community. Those pillars are arts, education, technology, and community service
Your responsibility as a ScottCares Foundation scholarship winner is to make sure that you spend this money wisely on your education as a young artist, to use the technology that is available to share your work with your community that lies beyond geographical constraints, and to serve that community by giving of your unique and irreplaceable artistic vision in every way you can imagine.
Stand up, Rebecca, Jordan, Laura, Ryan, Bryce, Sasha, Abbey, and Amanda. Your artistic torch or flame stands just as the Statue of Liberty and the Olympic Torch stand for all the best that the human race can be. Tonight the people who are the community of the ScottCares Foundation stand here as witnesses. We hand you your artistic torch to carry. When it is time, and you have the means and opportunity, pass the torch on to a new generation of young artists who will look to you for inspiration and courage.
We look forward to experiencing our world through your art – we need you.
Brava, Bravo, bravississimo!!
