Press
Artists urged to get political
Group encourages students to be creative activists
BY REBECCA PARSONS COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHRONICLE COPY EDITOR - May
2, 2005
Tom Tresser has a simple answer for everyone who has a problem
with the government: "Stop petitioning the government and start
being the government. Don't complain about what they're doing;
get in there and do it differently."
Tresser, lead organizer for the Creative America Project, will
bring his ideas to Columbia on May 14, during Stand Up for Creativity,
a one-day session of the Creative America Project.
The CAP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to the
belief that creative people have specific skills that make them
great candidates for participation in civic life, will stress involvement
in the political process on various levels from community leadership
to government office.
The event, held in the Conaway Center at 1104 S. Wabash Ave., will
also teach attendees how to break into politics and run for office.
Tresser said artists have organizational, marketing and problem-solving
skills that they are able to hone while practicing as a student
or professional in their chosen industry. He said he believes creativity
is the best asset a politician or civic leader can have.
"Artists have the skills to imagine a better world and move toward
it," Tresser said. "That is exactly what we need from our public
and political leaders."
For those not interested or able to run for office, there are numerous
alternative ways an artist can put their skills to work in the
political arena, according to Kevin Conlon, a CAP board member
and public affairs/political strategies consultant.
"People should not feel pressure to be a candidate because there
are so many other roles within politics they can take on," Conlon
said."They could create new press materials, do graphic design,
marketing or event planning or volunteer organization."
Conlon said he thinks there is a specific void in the political
process that can only be filled by people with creative minds.
"I think many of our public policy issues are so often nuance,
but the differences have to be defined in the details," Conlon
said. "Artists deal with nuance all the time and their creative
capacity allows them to understand the distinction between one
policy and another, or one person's proposal and another, and to
explain those details to a wide variety of audiences."
Representatives from CAP are particularly focused on training people
to get involved in the 2006 elections. Tresser said he believes
the current political climate in country presents a particular
need for artists' involvement. He said many of our rights under
the First Amendment are being challenged, an important issue for
artists who depend on its protection to work freely.
Kevin Lampe, executive vice president of Kurth Lampe, a political
consulting firm, agrees that the need for political participation
is strong now.
"If we allow rights to be diminished, then we will all be in trouble.
This is shown by the effects of the Patriot Act, the erosion of
freedoms over the last few years," said Lampe, who also serves
as a CAP advisory council member and democracy trainer.
Andy Wibbels, an entrepreneur who attended a CAP training session
on Jan. 22, said there is a pressing need for creativity in political
racesto even the playing field in upcoming elections.
"I think there are such creative things that need to be done, especially
on the progressive, liberal side because the people who do promotion
for the conservative side are getting more and more creative in
their speech and their tactics," Wibbels said.
But Tresser said that often the stereotype that all politicians
and governments are corrupt prevents people from getting involved.
"For every corrupt bozo [in the government] you read about, there
are dozens of people in there working hard and doing good things
behind the scene," he said.
Furthermore, Tresser believes that artists often possess a unique
set of values that can allow them to navigate through the murky
waters ofpolitics while remaining clean, optimistic and determined
to create change.
"Artists have another set of values that measures success not by
money, but by how many people learn or are engaged by their art,
and that's the kind of person we need in public life," Tresser
said. "Be the person you are in public life that you are in your
private, artistic life and I guarantee you will make a difference."
The Creative America Project "Stand Up for Creativity" training
session will be held Saturday, May 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in
the Conaway Center, 1104 S. Wabash Ave. The session costs $20.06
and lunch will be provided. Those interested can register and pay
online at www.creativeamerica.us or pay on site, but pre-registration
is strongly encouraged.
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Rebecca Parsons