The Arts

We are in the midst of a weird crisis—which hits home on all levels—but one of the beauties that is coming out of this is the flourishing of creativity—art, music, writing, photography—people are expressing themselves! Without the humanities life would be pretty flat. Without the reflection of where we have been, and the stories our predecessors told, we might be rootless. For me and many of the people I know, the humanities transcend the struggle to be alive—music soothes the anguished soul, art projects light and beauty into a gray vision, or just gives a sense of delight. A book or poetry is company, writing is a way to share thoughts, ideas, musings. As human creatures, we need connection, we need the stories of journey and struggle in order to make sense of where we live now and where we might be heading as a society.

Ulm Ranch, Josh Elliott, MHS 2006.57.01