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Support the Arts and Humanities

Jeff Smith is a strong supporter of the arts and humanities in Illinois. Here, he chats with constituents and Evanston’s Ethnic Arts Fest.

Representative Activities

• longtime representation of musicians, writers, designers, and other creatives
• member, Art Institute of Chicago
• online promotion of musical, artistic, and literary events and issues
• musician, writer, and photographer

The arts and humanities have intrinsic value to any society, and will have an increasingly important role in the economy. When I attend events like the Fountain Square Arts festival, the Glenwood Arts Fest, the American Craft Exposition, the Ethnic Art Fest, the Wilmette Festival of Fine Arts, or the Shorefront gallery opening, I do so not just because I enjoy the aesthetic and spiritual stimulation, but because I believe in the importance of the works, the process, and the ideas. I also know that for neighbors to attend a production by Next Theater or Light Opera Works stimulates the local economy.

Similar considerations apply to the humanities. History and preservation, in particular, have great importance to any society. Apart from cultural benefit, the knowledge they impart better enables us to address our future.

State government should consider support for the arts and humanities not as luxury or frivolity, but as essential to what makes us a better people and a richer community. I will be an advocate in Springfield for the role of the performing, decorative, and visual arts as well as literature, music, poetry, and newer art forms, and for the preservation, study, understanding, and communication of culture. — Jeff Smith

• Fund the Arts for Economic Impact
• Jeff at the Dr. Hill Community Gateway Dedication
• Jeff's post on the American Crafts Exposition

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