Folklore, Art, and Indiana

In this speech, given at the dedication of the renovated Indiana University Auditorium, I argue that when we celebrate the care that goes into the restoration of a great building, we must remember that bricks and mortar are only metaphors for the people and the invisible structures that are the heart of great institutions. Talk of "heritage" and "legacy" must be talk about people of dedication-like IU Chancellor Herman B Wells or folklorist Stith Thompson-who were unafraid to create new educational possibilities. Likewise, I believe the National Endowment for the Arts can be a catalyst in the effort to renew and expand our nation's commitment to the arts as a core component of learning. For me, the folklorist's vision of the centrality of art and artists to human experience is the most useful starting point from which to argue the importance of music, drama, dance, and our federal arts agency. Folklore believes that art and art-making are windows into family life, culture, and behavior: communities and individuals use their expressive capacities to synthesize experience and creativity and to gather up values and traditions for presentation to the outside world. Based on the premise that our expressive lives constitute the basic currency of civil society, I outline my goals to 1) make art central to the lives of our young citizens, 2) recognize artists as citizens who make a distinct and irreplaceable contribution to society, and 3) bring the values, insights, and skills of artists to bear on public policy making.