While #Patron is not trending, we must make every effort to recognize patrons of the arts. I looked up avenues of funding available to the youth of our country. We must invest in our youth first and foremost because they are the future leaders of our world. The US Presidential Scholars program was signed into law in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson to recognize the contributions of our nation’s high school seniors. It took 15 years before the arts were recognized by this program in 1979, thanks to the National Endowment of the Arts. A stringent nationwide competition is held annually to select 20 Presidential Scholars of the Arts out of hundreds of young, qualified artists. However, 100 scholars are selected with a focus on STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Math) fields. I submit that therein lies a strong divide.
Why the difference?
Why do we have only 20 candidates selected in the Arts? Why are only 20 candidates deserving of this recognition in our glorious 50 states? That too, these seniors must meet the US Presidential scholar’s requirements which are quite strict in terms of testing. I will hesitantly give into this requirement. However, this is 2020 and I cannot believe that 41 years after introducing the Arts Presidential Scholars, nobody has recognized the need for equity in the visual, performing and creative arts.
It is time.
It is time to rethink our patronage of the arts, and this must come from the leadership of the highest office. #Patron will get new life if there is a movement in our country to bring the arts on equal footing with the sciences.
As always, be curious and create!
Hyacinth
https://www.hyacinthpaulart.com/
