What is not yet done is what we have not attempted to do. This is true and our new Mayor Bob Kellar who is an avid arts supporter wants more residents to attend local events at cultural spots like the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at the College of the Canyons and the Canyon Theatre Guild and Repertory East Playhouse in downtown Newhall.
Santa Clarita boasts the Santa Clarita Symphony, The Santa Clarita Ballet and The Santa Clarita valley artists association that Mayor Kellar wants residents to know about. “Studies have shown the cities with strong support of the arts have higher ratings of community satisfaction and higher quality of life,” Kellar says. Therefore with the constant increase in the population of Santa Clarita, the creative talent that now exists is overwhelming and it is important to give opportunities for creative talent to be involved in the building of new art programs and helping to make Santa Clarita an art city.
It is wonderful to know that putting the arts front and center on the agenda for the future plans of Santa Clarita is great news.
Everyone living in the Santa Clarita Valley is essential to make the impact for the importance of all the arts as part of our community life.
For as long as there have been people, there has been art. The oldest known artworks are paintings found on the walls of caves. They were painted between 12,000 and 17,000 years ago by early human cave dwellers. Since that time, art has been produced in every culture and throughout every age.
So, why do people of all cultures create art? The most basic reason is that art is a powerful form of communication and creative self-expression. Why artists create varies from artist to artist. One motivation for making art, clearly, is to share uniquely human experiences. Art teaches us about ourselves and our environment. It also teaches us to see the beauty around us. In many world cultures, art serves a ceremonial or religious function. As we begin to see the beginnings of making art offered in different visual and performing programs and venues, it will be necessary to see the development of sites where programs can be offered to the public. If the readers of this article have some ideas on how to help Mayor Kellar as an avid arts supporter please send an email to Jaylene@ca-productions.com . We all need to help in supporting the future of the arts in Santa Clarita.
Jaylene Armstrong is a retired art educator from Madison, Wisconsin. For more information, please call 661-255-3050.