A Valentine

A Valentine  for my NAEA Colleagues!

It’s been quite a stormy week on the East Coast.  There’s been lots of snow and the government shut down for several days.

 

The snow in my garden on Long Island

When I received a blog post from one of my oldest arts education colleagues, I felt even more dreary.  She has been advocating for arts education a very long time and emphatically states in her latest post that she has never seen the field in such a challenged position.  See this link:

Guest Blog: Jane Remer's CliffNotes--Scorched Earth: How Will Arts Education Survive The Current Climate?

After I read it, I stopped and thought for a moment,

“Wow. Maybe Jane’s right.  Maybe all the hope I am trying to put into my Mentor of the Month blog posts is a bit Pollyanna-ish.”

But then an email arrived from one of my oldest childhood friends.  She is a woman who still lives in the small Midwestern hometown where I grew up and teaches at the local branch of the state university.  She isn’t even in the arts.  She sent a link to a YouTube video that she said made her laugh, cry, smile and feel uplifted. 

So as a Valentine to all of you, I pass this link along in the hopes that it will brighten your holiday weekend.

The setting is the central market in Valencia, Spain last November. Members of an opera company disguised themselves as vendors and in the midst of a regular market day, burst into selections from La Traviata. Watch what happens as the arts sneak up on everyone. The sign at the end in Spanish translates, “Look at how much you love opera!”

http://www.youtube.com/atenordelaopera

Enjoy!

I will go on pushing hope in future blog posts next week!  Happy holiday weekend!  Refresh, relax and recharge for the work ahead!

 

Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

-BJ Adler