Feature: CELEBRATING THE ARTS AT THE KENNEDY CENTER ARTS SUMMIT at The Kennedy Center

President John F. Kennedy was always an advocate of the arts. In his commencement address at Amherst College, he expressed his hope that America would "reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business or statecraft."

At the fourth annual Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., that hope was solidified.

The Kennedy Center Arts Summit explores how the arts and culture shape societies. Approximately 250 guests ranging from artists to scientists to students and arts administrators traveled from all over the country to meet May 6 to discuss the transformative power of the arts.

Notable panelists and guests at the event included Yo-Yo Ma, Condoleezza Rice and John Lloyd Young. The day started off with performances by students from Savoy Elementary and remarks by Yo-Yo Ma followed by panel discussions in different locations at the Kennedy Center.

The conversation is especially relevant considering the current political climate. When President Donald Trump proposed to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts, it raised eyebrows about where the arts' place in American society. The New Yorker announced the cuts would put "America First, Art Last."

The arts summit broke those notions, where panelists and guest artists emphasized the profound effect art has on the development of Americans.

Tony winner and Jersey Boys star John Lloyd Young spoke at a particularly interesting panel called "Explore: What can cultural citizens do together that they can't do alone?"

Some of the panelists at the discussion were Ayanna Hudson, the President of the National Endowment for the Arts and Kathy Fletcher, the Director of the Turnaround Arts Initiative which brings notable artists into struggling schools to get them enthused about the arts.

Hudson, Fletcher and Lloyd Young spoke about how arts education has helped turn around "poor-performing schools."

"Every poor performing school has their own issues," Lloyd Young said. "The arts gave them a way to connect to people. An encouraging word from an adult that is not a parent can change a child's life."

Paul Stebbins, a Fortune 500 CEO spoke throughout the day about the importance of merging business and creativity. He emphasized the importance of investing in the arts.

"If the arts continues to be a sector where people don't invest, we will always be left out," Stebbins said.

Many students came to the Kennedy Center, invigorated by the summit.

Darren Neblett, a 14-year-old student from Maryland who dabbles in drawing and videography, was excited by the creativity and energy in the room.

"It has been really cool," Neblett said. "It's been really great for the youth because it uses art to bring people together."

Students like Neblett benefit from arts education. Tian Luan, a graduate student in arts management at George Mason also spoke about the importance of arts investment.

"It is hard to get funding from the government so there is more pressure for organizations to get funds and engage more audiences," Luan said. "Luckily, I can apply thoughts from this conference to my actual studies like how to make the arts more creative."

Now that the arts funding is no longer threatened under Trump, there is hope that the arts will continue to flourish in America. Still, Stebbins emphasized the importance of keeping this momentum.

"It's never the new normal," Stebbins said. "It's keeping everybody at the table."

Photo by Yassine El Mansouri

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