March 2, 2001
Picture, for a moment, a world without art. What are you left with? Worldwide wrestling? Monster truck rallies? The XFL?
It's a terrifying image.
Fortunately for us, St. Louis has more than its share of cultural riches, from music and theatre to dance, poetry and painting. But without support, we could one day awaken to find that the arts have quietly disappeared.
To keep the arts alive and thriving, the University encourages its employees to contribute to the annual fund drive of the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis (A&E), now in its 38th year. A&E, which provides funding for numerous local arts organizations, needs the support of the University, noted Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton, who has set a goal for the University community to raise $30,000.
"Music, theater, dance, and the visual arts all help us see our world in new and often thought-provoking ways," Wrighton said in a letter to University employees. "In St. Louis, the Arts & Education Council has been an important mainstay in the support of these important art forms and arts education, and the Washington University community has been one of the most generous contributors to the Council's annual campaign for support. I hope that we will once again be able to make the kind of contribution that represents our commitment to the importance of the arts in our region."
Faculty and staff received Wrighton's letter last week, along with a package of information about the fund drive and a pledge card that explains the benefits to those who contribute and how the contributions are used.
A&E does not receive public funds or government grants. Rather, the organization solicits donations from local individuals and institutions. It uses this revenue to help fund some of the area's major arts institutions and to underwrite grants to nearly 150 other arts organizations. A&E is instrumental in supporting educational-outreach programs designed to bring first-class performances and entertainment to children and senior citizens who otherwise might not be served.
"The arts are not a luxury for a civilized society," said Henry I. Schvey, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences, who heads the fund drive. "They are an absolute necessity. In an age when values are increasingly shaped by inanimate things, it is live performance by musicians, dancers and actors that puts us in touch with who we are and reminds us of what it means to be human."
Over the years, the University has received A&E support for Edison Theatre, the Gallery of Art and the International Writers Center in Arts & Sciences, among others.
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