FAQs

1. You use terms like cultural capital, critical zone, cultural leader, renaissance, artist advocate, ghetto, etc. Where do these terms come from and where can I get a description of them?

These terms may sound esoteric to some, but they are extremely signficant to the dialogue about cultural progress. If you give these terms some thought and simply guess their meaning, I believe you will intuitively grasp their meaning. I will be blogging on all of these subjects and I have my own interpretation of these terms.

The first time I heard the term "cultural leader" was from my friend Todd Bouldin in March of 2006 when he invited me to join a team at Pepperdine University to discuss the development of their new MFA program. After citing they wanted a unique program emphasizing cultural leadership, I knew I had found a term that encapsulated everything I was about.

"21st Century Renaissance" is something I termed to replace the term "cultural renewal." I believe that 100 years from now, historians will refer to certain western artists of the 21st century as leaders who brought new life into a culture that had fallen to decline in the 20th century.

• I got the idea from a Dana Gioia quote I read in 2005 which says, "The great work of the 21st century is the reconciliation of art and spirituality."
• I have always admired the Renaissance of the 15th and 16th century with Michelangelo being one of my heroes. All artists then understood the creative process to involve an encounter with the transcendent, and their work expressed hope for redemption. These distinctions mark the leaders of the renaissance to come.
• Patronage and a high value for the creative class are assumed with this term.
• Finally, renaissance means "rebirth" and "revival." American culture is sick. We need new life breathed into our society. I predict this new life will not come from religious leaders but from artists. In fact, many religious leaders in America are digging their heals in distrust of artists taking the lead, ironically proving themselves the greatest hindrance to the renaissance to come.