On October 30, 2017 in Washington, D.C., I’m going to be speaking at a conference on “Culture and Art in a Populist Age” sponsored by the University of Arizona American Culture and Ideas Initiative and the Ethics and Public Policy Center. I’m going to be the respondent for the presentation by Eric Gibson, editor of the Leisure & Arts page of The Wall Street Journal. To quote the official description:
This one day conference explores the immediate future of the arts within the dynamic and controversial political environment that has emerged in the wake of the 2016 elections. How does the recent strand of populism affect the arts and humanities moving forward? Are the high arts insulated from the vicissitudes of quotidian life? Or does a populist surge speak directly to the arts in a post-Enlightenment era? Conference participants are uniquely suited to address these questions.
Featuring:
Heather MacDonald: “Vandals at the Opera House: Identity Politics Comes to the Opera Stage”
Eric Gibson: “Headwinds on the Road to a Democratic Culture”
Roger Scruton: “Why Taste Matters”
Bruce Cole & Daniel Asia: “Consonance and Dissonance in the Music and Art World”
Robert E. Gordon & Aaron D. Mobley: “The Value of Art and Music in a Popular Culture”