I was at a celebratory event in the past week for one of the major theatres in the Philadelphia area. They were honoring one of the individuals who has supported the arts in the region for many years. It was a wonderful evening with testimonials, significant impact, music, affirmations and inspirational moments in the arts community of Philadelphia.
As we were all marveling at the impact of the theatre and both the artists and the audiences that have been so blessed by the arts, we sensed such a comradery and depth of understanding in how much the arts mean to our community – it impacts thousands of lives and many of them are our youth. We were amazed at the teenagers who performed classical music with violins who were given opportunity to grow in their musical gifts although they were from challenging neighborhoods. We heard dramatic performances. We listened to humorous yet meaningful tributes. All the presentations were awe-inspiring as to all that was accomplished in the lives of so many artists, volunteers and the community.
In the midst of such a powerful and artistic evening, a significant announcement was made. The grants to this and other theatres have been put on hold indefinitely. The elation of the evening turned to a strong sense of grief and loss. The sadness was permeating and there was a palpable sense of despair that transformed the evening into a tragic realization. These vital grants were no longer a part of their stream of revenue and now there was a desperate air of uncertainty about their future.
This is very similar to the stories I am hearing from non-profits in several different arenas within our region. The sense of loss is the same. If we lose the arts, we lose a bit of our soul and a number of beautiful expressions that inspire us. I think of how the arts regulates us from stress, brings us laughter, helps us appreciate deeper meaning in the messages and gives us hope. We depend on these artistic expressions of music, theatre, movies and wonderful performances to give us the ability to discover something greater than what we can realize in the normal walk of life. From children to senior adults the arts give us so many gifts of creativity, encouragement, muse and vision.
After the grant freezing announcement was made the leadership made a plea for ticket sales for their event and then held a voluntary fund-raiser, the first one of their year. Spontaneously the audience contributed over $22,000 with promises for more. As a community that cares about their theatre and the arts, the attendees were motivated to give generously so that everyone in the room felt the pulse of a resilient and commited group of arts patrons.
Upon the announcement of the funds raised, the DJ broke out the dancing music and people took to the dance floor to continue to express their love of the arts and to enthusiastically embrace a celebration of all that had gone on in the evening. What started as an expression of gratitude that turned into despair ended in an unrelenting party that renewed an enthusiasm for each other and our artistic community. There was so much encouragement at the end as this resilient community of artists rose in their commitment to support this theatre and all that it stood for.
The whole evening was a microcosm of what appears to be trending in our communities for many of the causes that mean a lot to us whether we are young or old. There will be moments of discouragement and disillusionment and yet our commitment and care for the things that mean the most to us can be restored if we have the human will and resilience to stand for those causes and strive to see that they receive the support they deserve. It was a great example of creating positive momentum for important issues that really matter. It was a great example of how the human spirit inspired new momentum for the arts.
Gerry Vassar
President/CEO
