Our mission at Boston University is to make the arts relevant to every student.
The University cannot do it alone. This effort must be a collaboration involving students. To have a genuine encounter with the arts, students must commit to a threefold experience:
–First, do it. Draw, paint, sing, act, dance, play a musical instrument. Find out how hard it is; how joyous, too.
–Second, know something about the context in which a particular art work was created. Who was Beethoven, the man? What were the times like when Bach composed? This will add crucial richness to the experience.
—Finally, and most importantly, enjoy the arts. Attend productions, exhibitions, recitals. Learn something about the artist and his/her work before you go.
Opportunities here are nearly limitless but you must make a commitment. This is different from some forms of popular culture that make few demands on you.
By “doing” art, learning about it, and enjoying it, our students can move from the merely curious, to the interested, all the way to becoming active participants and passionate arts advocates.
