I read an article in the NYTimes the other day that really, really resonated considering where I’m currently at with my life in Buenos Aires, and in general.
As I think I have mentioned before on this blog, a dancer friend and I are starting up a small touristic business here in Baires, aimed at a historically/artistically oriented group of people. I don’t want to give too much away considering that it’s still in the works (as a hint: we’re planning our launch to coincide with the huge World Tango Championships that begin here in August), but this article really gave me a needed dose of inspiration that I will be able to make a life-long career for myself revolving around the various artistic endeavors that are the absolute passions of my life.
There was one specific paragraph of the article that had me ever so slightly raise my voice in a triumphant nod of agreement (once again talking to myself in my living room…go figure), acknowledging the clear connection between the arts, culture, and tourism. During my final semester at Emory, as a requirement for my self devised IDS major, I took a class called “Contemporary Issues in Dance”, with one of my favorite professors in the Department. One of the things we frequently discussed was the arts place in today’s shifting environment, both Internationally and Nationally. Obama was putting final touches on the Stimulus Package, and the general artists community was in a tizzy because many politicians were balking about the extremely meager $50 million that the package allotted to the NEA (aka the National Endowment for the Arts), claiming that it was too much money to spend on an outlet where you would not be able to tangibly measure the economic benefit. Are you kidding me? One of the things that me and the million other tourists and expats so adore about this city is the ridiculous quantity of cultural offerings that is has to offer, any time of any day, at an absurdly accessible price. Read: art = culture = tourism. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the correlation between art and culture, and to recognize what a huge place culture has in driving and maintaining a cities touristic industry.
But enough of my opinions…read the article for yourself! Hopefully everyone will be able to come to find something that resonates with their personal and professional life, and ergo come to their own conclusions.
Here’s the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/19/arts/design/19profit.html?ref=arts
Chau for now homies. Un beso!
