While the central banks of the world grasp at straws to resolve the current credit crisis, our nation must not forget that the best answers to problems comes from human creativity.

That is the message coming from the Americans for the Arts, a foundation that held its annual awards gala at Cirpriani on October 6th. The Arts in the U.S. account for $166 B in revenues last year and 5.8M jobs. Students who study the arts also on average score 120 points higher on SATs and eight times more involved in after school activities. Study after study shows that the arts stimulate ingenuity, innovation, and holistic thinking. As one of the honorees, Joan Harris, said during her acceptance speech, "The most important thing my late husband taught me was to invest in great ideas and strategically in great minds through early intervention."

The following evening, the Rubin Musuem of Art also hosted its gala honoring her Royal Highness Ashi Kesang, Wangmo Wangchuk, the Princess of Bhutan for Arts/Humanitarian Achievement. Flying into town from the Far East to attend the evening, she was being recognized for her charitable activities in the health sector such as setting up a leprosy program in Bhutan, establishing a home for poor patients in a hospital, establishing a guest house for cancer patients, and establishing a fund to help needy patients to cover expenses for medicines, cremations, and other needs. In addition to the awards, Don Rubin, founder of the museum, also leads efforts in showing the connection between art and social good. During the after dinner reception, he told me that he joined forces with Perkins Eastman, an architecture firm to design earthquake-proof buildings which they plan to distribute as guidebooks for free to anyone who wants one in the developing countries. The amount of good will and human lives saved from such creativity is not $700B; it is priceless.

Ann Lee

10/8/08