Proposed Federal budget cuts,

While the Federal budget is proposed and not passed as of yet the Trump administration's intentions are not good for the arts and humanities.

Federal funding of Arts and the Humanities are on a list the Trump administration wants to outright eliminate including; The National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

For those who understand the vital role the arts and humanities provide in the nurturing of a healthy society. The profound benefits to our culture are immeasurable. The news is more than disconcerting.

While the cuts are uncertain the only thing that is certain is uncertainty about one's prosperity and well being in the future for so many it is an ongoing and increasingly prevailing daily concern.

So what's the solution?
On a Federal level it a "wait and see" situation. Citizens and political leaders of all parties are extremely concerned and upset with the intentions directed towards the arts and humanities. With so many organizations and political leaders addressing the issues there may or may not be a reasonable compromise On a personal and community level there can and should be a concerted effort to engage, support and share in the humanities.

My challenge to others and the actions I am personally putting forth is: " What are we personally serving up to strengthen our society our families and ourselves?"

Please feel free to attend one of my FREE community art classes

So why are the arts and humanaites so important?

Here art 9 reasons (from Curt Rice website, http://curt-rice.com/2014/02/25/here-are-9-reasons-why-humanities-matter-whats-your-number-10/
The humanities help us understand others through their languages, histories and cultures.
They foster social justice and equality.
And they reveal how people have tried to make moral, spiritual and intellectual sense of the world.
The humanities teach empathy.
They teach us to deal critically and logically with subjective, complex, imperfect information.
And they teach us to weigh evidence skeptically and consider more than one side of every question.
Humanities students build skills in writing and critical reading.
The humanities encourage us to think creatively. They teach us to reason about being human and to ask questions about our world.
The humanities develop informed and critical citizens. Without the humanities, democracy could not flourish.