IDEAS
Inspiring Ideas about Arts in America
I’ll skip cliches about living in "unprecedented times" and jump to 4A Arts’ core: we believe that arts, culture, design, and craft aren’t a luxury; they’re the foundation of a meaningful life. That’s why we’re mobilizing Americans to defend the arts, changing the...
The summer of 2025 belonged to K-Pop Demon Hunters, an animated spectacle by the same team behind the acclaimed Spider-Verse series, whose music, color, and energy swept across screens and into the cultural bloodstream. With over 325 million views as of September 30,...
I’ve recently read (and then re-read because of its whimsical approach to cultural studies) The Birth of Korean Cool by Euny Hong. While not a traditional beach read, it danced between so many genres of popular Korean culture, I might as well have been watching VH1’s...
With a heavy heart, I’m writing to reflect on my time working with Charlie Reinhart who passed away on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at the age of 94 years young. My time with Charlie was brief but rich in the long line of his life, career, and influence on American...
Just a few short days ago, a new age of arts advocacy was abruptly and painfully ushered in when the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under Elon Musk and the Trump administration, directed the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to lay off 70-80% of...
Imagine walking into your local library and finding the doors locked–not for renovation, not for a snow day–but permanently. Imagine your kids' school canceling the theater program, or your town's outdoor summer concert series shutting down for good. Imagine flipping...
A 2024 Podcast Roundup for Arts AdvocatesSome say we’ve reached “peak podcasting” and that the exponential growth of podcasts will slow significantly in the near future. But this signals that podcasts have become a regular staple in how we consume information, seek...
Dear Esteemed Candidates for president, Congratulations on securing the delegate support for your Presidential races and for earning the privilege to ask all Americans for their votes; now let's talk about art in the White House. As you catapult through the remaining...
Here at 4A Arts, we frequently emphasize the way art strengthens communities. It creates ties that bind, helps people push past vulnerabilities, cures loneliness, helps us demonstrate self-expression, dismantles facades, and (some might say most importantly)...