The New ArtServe Michigan

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to have an Op-Ed article in the Sunday Detroit Free Press. I hope you will all check it out and respond online with your own comments and thoughts.

The piece is ArtServe’s response to the Governor’s State of the State address. It also lays out what we believe are the things we all need to support and invest in as individuals, communities and the state as a whole, if we are to make it through this very tough economic transition and out the other side as a thriving place where people chose to live, work and raise their families.

I believe it starts with investing in the basics of education, health care and public services. No one would argue that these things need to be in place as a prerequisite for anyone choosing to live in Michigan. Investing in them is an absolute MUST, but the basics alone are just not enough to get us through this incredibly challenging transition to a knowledge-based economy. We must also invest in those things that differentiate us as a state, our unique attributes, assets and strengths. I would argue that these unique strengths consist of:

Nature: Our stunning natural resources - the Great Lakes, our woods, water, etc.

Culture: The unbelievably diverse and authentic home-grown/world-class cultural resources rooted in communities, large and small, urban and rural in both of our beautiful peninsulas.

Creativity: The creativity of our people and our legacy of invention, innovation and entrepreneurship - all possible because of the human imagination.

What we need to regain the prominence Michigan once enjoyed is to strategically invest in the basics and the things that add up to our competitive edge. We must think and express this clearly and publicly to one another and to decision-makers at all levels.

Artists, cultural organizations and arts educators all have an incredibly important role to play in this, but we won’t get very far if we are not aware of, connected to and supportive of one another. Beyond that, we as a sector also need to reach out to and advocate for the parts of this broader agenda that are beyond our own more narrow interests. This requires a generosity of spirit that I believe we possess. We in the arts need to advocate for the basics which means being vocal about the need to strategically invest in education, health care and public services. We need to invite those who are actively engaged in advocating for the natural resources and environmental interests of our communities - the things that when combined with arts, culture and creativity make Michigan unique.

If this makes sense and matters to you, I urge you to join us on March 19^th in Lansing for ArtServe’s Arts & Culture Day: Michigan’s Competitive Edge - Nature, Culture and Creativity.

Register online at www.artservemichigan.org. Get involved. Participate in a day of inspiration, information and action. Help me start a movement around this shared agenda. If you care, I need you there!