". . .you dont need to be rich or powerful
to lift your voice in song or get out of your seat and shake your groove
thing. You dont need to be a Van Gogh to paint a picture, or a
Maya Angelou to write a poem. You dont need a Grammy or an Oscar
or an Emmy to make your work on the cultural life of your community
or your country a valuable one.
And to people who might not speak a single word of
the same language, who might not have a single shared experience, might
still be drawn together when their hearts are lifted by the notes of
a song, or their souls are stirred by a vision on a canvas.
That is the power of the arts to remind us
of what we each have to offer, and what we all have in common; to help
us understand our history and imagine our future; to give us hope in
the moments of struggle; and to bring us together when nothing else
will. "
Michelle Obama
"Our aspirations are our possibilities."
- Robert Browning