// Say “YES” to more arts & culture in the States//

Can I also just say in reference to my last post about Wayne McGregor’s premiere of “Infra” on BBC2 - where is America on this sort of programming?

The BBC made a documentary as a lead up to and then provided anyone with a television in the UK the opportunity to watch the piece in its entirety - taking the viewers through the creative/workshop programme into the actual performance of a piece, educating and entertaining their audience simultaneously.

HOW FANTASTIC IS THAT?

I know that there has been quite a lot of press about the Met’s success in bringing opera to the nation via live satelite links/recorded performances being mounted in local movie theatres… but is there not more?

The ROH/RB and the UK have done an incredible job setting a standard for pushing boundaries when it comes to integrating the arts & culture in the fabric of the nation - that it is not necessarily set apart from other education work but integrated into the way the children/adults/citizens MUST be informed about.

We need more of this in the States - I realize we don’t have national television networks of the same model of the BBC (both pros and cons to this in my opinion) - but there must be a way to get much of the great programming that happens on public television onto some of the major networks during quality time slots.

Art:21 is a great program but  - what else can we be doing?

There needs to be more!

This is by no means meant to be hating on what is currently done, but a real desire for there to be greater backing from our government and policy makers and philanthropists to help bring America to the next level with this. We need to innovate not only in the sciences/technologies to advance, we must also innovate in the way that we define ourselves as a nation. We have a great many talents here - and without giving them the proper attention and cultivation they need - we will lose them.

We have to do more to secure the arts as a necessary not conditional part of our lives.