Core Values
As much as possible, many of us in the arts go out of our way to avoid getting embroiled in a lot of the complex controversy which exists in every part of life. We love to escape to our dream fantasy worlds, where we can be stars, be loved, be special, and be creative. The arts have been a refuge since human time began.
But the arts are also perhaps the most powerful conduit of expressing the human experience. As is often said in various ways, people can hate each other and hate life, but everybody likes music. In times of stress and conflict, when people and societies and nations and faiths are struggling to define themselves and to survive, the arts cannot ignore the world. We artists must at times be the messenger, the explorer, the interpreter, the mediator. I have never forgotten the motto which is prominent at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, one of my favorite and most inspiring places in the world: "In the Arts There Are No Enemies".
So as the founding director of World Oceans Arts, I just want to share a few thoughts about who I think we are. I cannot speak for all artists, but I can offer a statement for this consortium of people who strive to work together. I believe this statement reflects us well. I hope it may offer direction and comfort to everyone who feels trapped, abused, left out, offended or threatened by recent events in the USA and in the world:
---We believe in the power and sanctity of certain core values. We believe every human being should strive to protect these values. We are conscious of these values in every work of art that we create or produce. We are fragile and we make mistakes, as do all people. But we will proclaim and defend these values in our art and in our lives. At World Oceans Arts and AcquaTroupe, the core values which are important to us include honesty, fairness, beauty, diligence, spirituality, respect for all people and all things and creatures on our planet, humility, dignity, peace, freedom, and the incomparable strength and power of accomplishing things together for the common good, rather than trying to accomplish things on our own as competitors and enemies of other people.----
As we begin casting the movie "1969", which will call to mind all the angst, anguish, exhilaration and stunning discoveries of world society in the late 1960's and early 1970's, we find ourselves in a similar setting. I predict that in the days and months ahead, we will all have to respond to the same kind of challenges and threats and mind-blowing accomplishments which characterized that previous time. As a person who lived through that era as a young adult, I can assure you that we're in for a wild ride!
Wishing you peace and love and fulfillment always,
James Gibson
But the arts are also perhaps the most powerful conduit of expressing the human experience. As is often said in various ways, people can hate each other and hate life, but everybody likes music. In times of stress and conflict, when people and societies and nations and faiths are struggling to define themselves and to survive, the arts cannot ignore the world. We artists must at times be the messenger, the explorer, the interpreter, the mediator. I have never forgotten the motto which is prominent at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, one of my favorite and most inspiring places in the world: "In the Arts There Are No Enemies".
So as the founding director of World Oceans Arts, I just want to share a few thoughts about who I think we are. I cannot speak for all artists, but I can offer a statement for this consortium of people who strive to work together. I believe this statement reflects us well. I hope it may offer direction and comfort to everyone who feels trapped, abused, left out, offended or threatened by recent events in the USA and in the world:
---We believe in the power and sanctity of certain core values. We believe every human being should strive to protect these values. We are conscious of these values in every work of art that we create or produce. We are fragile and we make mistakes, as do all people. But we will proclaim and defend these values in our art and in our lives. At World Oceans Arts and AcquaTroupe, the core values which are important to us include honesty, fairness, beauty, diligence, spirituality, respect for all people and all things and creatures on our planet, humility, dignity, peace, freedom, and the incomparable strength and power of accomplishing things together for the common good, rather than trying to accomplish things on our own as competitors and enemies of other people.----
As we begin casting the movie "1969", which will call to mind all the angst, anguish, exhilaration and stunning discoveries of world society in the late 1960's and early 1970's, we find ourselves in a similar setting. I predict that in the days and months ahead, we will all have to respond to the same kind of challenges and threats and mind-blowing accomplishments which characterized that previous time. As a person who lived through that era as a young adult, I can assure you that we're in for a wild ride!
Wishing you peace and love and fulfillment always,
James Gibson
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