When, And Who, Will Be Arts Next Big Thing

This post was previously published on Yuri Vanetik's blog.

We all know the names of the world’s greatest artists–the ones who were famous for breaking new ground, delving into new realms and forcing the eyes and the mind of the art fanatic to bend, twist and reshape with them.  Their names come to mind easily and roll off of our tongues effortlessly.

Vincent Van Gogh.

Pablo Picasso.

Claude Monet.

Andy Warhol.

Whether you like their forms and styles or appreciate what they did for the world of art is neither here nor there. They are the names of the people who will be remembered, whose who will last on in fame forever (or at least as long as our written records survive). They are the names of the people who defined generations of art.

So why hasn’t that happened recently? And who does decide who is and who is not worth having his or her name enshrined among the greatest artists who ever lived?

Well, the answer to that second question is largely critics and those who buy the pieces. Art fairs and exhibits and galleries are, right now, everywhere. Exposure is no longer an issue, and we don’t have to lament about artists not being discovered until after their deaths. With social media and the ubiquitous nature of the internet, artists are posting new content and creating new “revolutionary” content every day. People are branching out and making sure their creations are seen. But they’re not breaking new ground. They’re not recognized as “great” artists. They’re not immortalized in museums. At least not yet.

The first question–why hasn’t this happened just yet in the recent past–is largely based in who does and who does not use their art to push new boundaries and create new forms. Will those like famed comic-book creator Stan Lee be recognized and lauded 100 years from now? What about 500? Lee broke new ground in the comic book field and helped to bring what could now be a dying medium to the masses. But just because the comic book field could see a decline in the relatively near future does not take away from what the art is.

Have we already seen the names and the work of the next big artistic thing–perhaps. My bet is that a name like Banksy will be remembered for centuries and centuries for his influence on street art, even if his real name is not.

Bill Clinton on Immigration in 1995

Bill Clinton's Stance on Immigration 21 Years Ago Sounds Familiar

Bill Clinton's stance on immigration in 1995 is certainly worth a revisit today. Listening to the brief speech gives flashes of what Donald Trump is promoting today, for which he's catching quite a bit of flack. While Clinton may have phrased his stance slightly more delicately than the GOP nominee, much of the platform remains very similar.

Giving to Education is Investing in the Future

When you open a retirement account, you’re preparing yourself for the future.

When you begin investing your money, you’re preparing yourself for the future.

Every four years, when the United States Presidential election rolls around and you cast a ballot, you’re preparing and helping to guide your future.

So why should philanthropic efforts be any different?

So often, when people are looking to get involved with a charity or impart some change in the world, they want to do it now. They don’t want to have to wait around and see what changes in a few months, years or decades. For many people, the time, money and effort put into doing some good needs to happen before our very eyes, or else all is lost.

But that is simply not true. While getting the instant gratification of handing money to someone in need may feel great and effect positive change in the moment, we shouldn’t let the future fall by the wayside. Yes, seeing your money or time make a difference is important, but so is knowing that your efforts will affect future generations to come.

If you’re looking to have a positive impact on the future generations, what better a place to start than where they’ll be spending a good bit of their time growing up: in school. Giving money towards education is taking a huge step towards investing in the future of your community and the leaders who will emerge.

While K-12 may seem like more of a foundational education rather than one that will have a large impact on the future, consider the following: children who don’t go to college make that decision while they’re still receiving a high school education. And those who receive a substandard high school education may be more inclined to skip college in favor of trade school or entering the workforce. By investing in K-12 education in your community, you’ll be investing in the next generation of students who will be excited to begin higher education. Elevated poverty and crime rates are both connected strongly with high school dropout rates around the country; if we can make an effort to better our educational standards by donating to schools, we may be able to improve those rates.

Investing or giving back to your higher education Alma mater(s) is also hugely beneficial, and can go towards running programs, establishing scholarships and improving the campus and educational foundation of the schools. Tomorrow’s leaders are being built today; giving philanthropically to education is investing in not only your future, but the future of the country.