Commentary on House Bill 8

I am an artist, and business owner in the hospitality sector in Otero County. I used to be a Licensed Practical Nurse where I applied arts-based techniques in allopathic care, and I also happen to have a degree in Arts Administration. I've been involved in the arts industry for over 30 years, and I support House Bill 8.

The economic impact of the arts is indisputable (https://www.arts.gov/news/press-releases/2021/new-report-released-economic-impact-arts-and-cultural-sector). It's sum is quantifiable.

So why does support for the Arts keep coming up? I think perhaps it enters dispute because the effect on quality of life appears less tangible - how do we measure happiness? Feeling connected? Creative solutions to human challenges?

There's endless research on the effects of sound and music in healing, such as increases in dopamine which in turn assists with depression and a variety of physical and mental health conditions. Art as therapy is an accepted practice in hospitals around the globe. Art increases communication between cultures... in fact the arts will be critical to the future well-being of the human race because our neolithic mental functions are still trying to save us from the sabre-toothed tiger rather than figuring out how we will survive long term.

"While our minds might be not be wired to deal with long-term threats and priorities in the abstract, they are wired for two things that we can control: story and emotion. Our predisposition towards story, and the deeply emotional nature of our decision-making, makes art and culture foundational to ensuring our future as a species." (BBC, How Art and Culture Can Help Us Rethink Time, Ella Saltmarshe and Beatrice Pembroke)

And lets not discount the systematic removal of the arts from education which is a damning statement about the health of our nation. The creative part of the brain that allows a 6 year old to draw an elephant in a tree is the same part of the brain that needs to be exercised (just like muscles need to be used to grow strong) in order to find solutions in science, medicine, mental health, poverty, racism - virtually every aspect of the human condition.

Let us support the arts, not just because it makes life more interesting and beautiful, but because it is foundational to our very existence.

Liliane Pilot

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