My friend Matthew J. Ryan was greatly respected for many things; his support and advocacy of the arts certainly count high on the list of his favored causes.  So it is truly an honor to receive an award named after the late Speaker.  I appreciate the efforts of those who advanced my name, and admire all they do in preserving, restoring, and advancing the arts in our communities.

The State Capitol is recognized in many fashions, but recently the focus has turned to the Capitol as Art.  Look around, and be inspired, for this Rotunda is a place of incredible beauty, giving grace and grandeur to our business of government.

It is ironic that, at a time when we celebrate the arts as enlightening, as entertaining, and as involving, the arts should so frequently be the target of criticism.

Whenever we are in tough economic times, there are those who look first to the arts as a place to cut spending.  They chalk up the arts as activities and pursuits that are nice, but not necessary.  Maybe it is not possible to put a precise benefit on the value of the arts, but we know that the quality of life is diminished in the absence of the arts.

Author David McCullough said that: “It is wonderful to expose children to works of art or artists, to hear what they have to say, to take them to concerts and performances, but it is the teaching of art, the teaching of theatre, the teaching of music, that so matters.”  So we cannot depend on acquisition by sight and sound alone; instruction and participation are indispensable to learning and appreciation of the arts.

Thus, it is important for us, as advocates, to stress how consequential the arts are, in education, and in life.  We can read daily warnings that the arts are being squeezed out of the classroom, and that they will diminish as a part of the education process.  By underlining the importance of art education, and the significance of the arts in a total education, we help keep the spirit alive. The creativity and imagination and participation involved in the arts are indeed transferable items, boosting student skills and successes across the board.

The arts connect us to our heritage.  History is not just places and things. It is music and dance, photography and painting, sculpting and designing.  It is a primary way in which traditions are handed down.  Just as our Commonwealth is home to a wonderful diversity of culture and religion, so do these diverse influences converge in a large and multi-hued tapestry of artistic expressions.

In our area, even as we have concentrated on economic development, transportation improvement, and community revitalization, we have not lost sight of what the arts can contribute.  There are many pieces to the puzzle, but a key part of Altoona’s recovery of spirit and confidence came with the effort to restore the Mishler Theatre.  The coalition formed there has collected other significant project successes.  For many years, one of the people serving on the Council of the Arts was a great lady and supporter of the arts, Ann Benzel.

Many people read about our area because of what our kids do in athletic pursuits, but today we will see that there is a lot of artistic accomplishment too, and it would have been more had Mother Nature not decided to paint the world white one last time.

I have not run out of causes, to be sure.  Someday, there will be a restored Bedford Springs Hotel, which will be a mecca for arts and culture tourism, and then we will have another day of monumental celebration.

Together, the people here today, and many more back home, have done tremendous work to support and sustain the arts.  We can be proud of our accomplishments, but we can be even prouder of the strong commitment that will bring opportunity, achievement, and joy in the years ahead.  Thank you.