In my Senior year of college I took a career development class. My friend and I (both members of the Theatre Honor Society and highly involved in arts in the school) ended up being the only people in the class who were focused on cultural careers. Most of the people in the class were also Freshmen and Sophomores who were studying business so we were really out of the norm.
Whenever one of those students said they wanted to be an accountant I would ask with disgust, “Why?” I would never and could never be an accountant or something money oriented. But someone needs to have that job in our society, they’re very important jobs. But knowledge, culture, and art are just as necessary.
Museums are just as much a refuge and escape from daily life. And sure, every museum is different; there are political, financial, and non-escapist museums that make you think about the things that you’re trying to not think about, but that’s okay too. It’s better than okay. Visual arts, music, nature, and the like feed the soul but every now and then we need to face reality and not forget when something happened.
The good, the bad. They happened.
Arts and cultural institutions are here to spark something.
Or shall we say… evoke passion?
A thank you to the people who took career paths I wouldn’t even dare, because we as a society need you. And you need me and my classmates and my future coworkers. And we’ll be here; lovingly tending to the knowledge and culture of our societies.
EvokingPassion. 