ABSTRACT

To be human is to be an artist. The making of sounds, symbols and gestures are characteristics of our humanity, of how we communicate, make connections, and internalise an outer world of experience. This is evident from the earliest months of life through to senescence. Although some are called “artists” and given a special status, they represent an inner capability and potential that is in each of us. Our minds are designed to make sense of the world and, in so doing, to be creative. It is the essence of thinking. This book is a celebration of the arts and, in particular, artists, including their oft subversive (in the sense of extending and challenging) roles in our private, social and cultural lives. Without the arts we are not able to make sense of the world, to be extended, entertained, to experience dissonance as well as consonance, and to have our present understandings expanded and transformed. Moreover, the arts – although often separated in cultural practices – are naturally integrated internally in terms of the individual human mind's holistic processing; this offers the possibility for the arts to impact positively on health and well-being, which is especially important in times of great threat to our mental and physical health. Consequently, it is an ongoing political imperative that we and our political and community leaders recognise the importance of the arts and artists, and their intrinsic value to our survival.