WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Ron Estes (KS-4) and actor Tim Daly appeared before a luncheon meeting of The Ripon Society and Franklin Center for Global Policy Exchange last Thursday afternoon to discuss the arts in this country and what role the federal government has in fostering creativity in communities nationwide.
Estes serves as a member of the Honorary Host Committee for the Creative Coalition, while Daly serves as President of the organization. Joining in this discussion were 12 other performers and Coalition members, including: Shiri Appleby, Anthony Carrigan, Ethan Cutkowsky, Lindsay Goffman, Harry Hamlin, Steve Howey, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Dean Norris, Meryl Poster, C. C. H. Pounder, Anthony Rapp, and Caterina Scorsone.
Estes began the discussion by explaining why the arts have a special place in American history, and how some of the nation’s founders viewed it as essential for building a better nation for the generations that will follow.
“Look back to the founding of our country and part of what the foundation of our society was based on,” the Kansas Republican stated. “Improving culture, improving the quality of life — we do that through the arts in so many ways. One of my favorite quotes when I think about this is from John Adams, one of the founding fathers, talking about how he studies war and politics so that his children can study mathematics and philosophy, and their children can study poetry and painting and music.”
Currently serving his second term in the House of Representatives, Estes came to Congress in 2017 after a successful career in engineering. He said he views the arts as an essential outlet for youth in Kansas, and he sees this when holding the Congressional Art Competition for his district each year.
“It’s just a great event to see the talent of all of these young students. I am additionally amazed because my background is as an engineer. I don’t necessarily have an artistic bone in my body other than I know what I like. And so I’m just amazed at the things that they can do and how dramatic they can present their arts and their skills.”
“As we look at the new opportunities people can have in any endeavor, in any way, we need to make sure we allow for that creativity, allow for the innovation to take hold and to move forward and look at how we make that growth for the future of our country. Agencies like the Institute for the Museum and Library Sciences and the National Endowment for the Arts play a vital role as part of our country in terms of how we make sure that creativity is continued, moves forward, and is supported.”
Daly agreed, and opened his remarks by talking about the goal of the group that he leads.
“The Creative Coalition is a group of prominent members of the arts and entertainment community, titans of industry and innovation and design who feel it’s our obligation to educate and inspire audiences to mobilize around issues of public importance,” he explained. “It’s our belief that our mission is to protect, defend, and promote the arts in the United States.
“I want to be very clear that we don’t work only for artists. We are promoting arts as a basic human right. We believe that every child should be exposed to and participate in the arts, not so that they can become professional artists, but because we know for a fact that it will enrich their lives, it will make them more empathetic, more compassionate, more interesting, more imaginative, more creative, and more productive human beings.”
He further explained how the arts personally changed his life growing up.
“My imagination was completely captivated by this imaginary world where I was trying to figure out what other people felt like, what they were doing, what motivated them to be the way they were,” he recounted. “It also helped me find myself. I found myself as a human being. I found my profession … My world just opened up. And every blessing that I’ve had since then is because of the arts.”
To view the remarks of Estes and Daly before the luncheon discussion last Thursday, please click on the link below:
The Ripon Society is a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 – Ripon, Wisconsin. One of the main goals of The Ripon Society is to promote the ideas and principles that have made America great and contributed to the GOP’s success. These ideas include keeping our nation secure, keeping taxes low and having a federal government that is smaller, smarter and more accountable to the people.
Founded in 1978, The Franklin Center for Global Policy Exchange is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to enhancing global understanding of important international issues. The Franklin Center brings together Members of the U.S. Congress and their international parliamentary counterparts as well as experts from the Diplomatic corps, foreign officials, senior private sector representatives, scholars, and other public policy experts. Through regular conferences and events where leading international opinion leaders share ideas, the Franklin Center promotes enlightened, balanced, and unbiased international policy discussion on major international issues.