Can the arts help you live forever?

If you were lucky enough to have a television in the 1980s, and you’ve been taking your ginkgo, then you may remember the show “Fame,” now streaming online. Set in NYC’s High School for Performing Arts, there was always a main plot of the struggles of an upcoming performance and a timely subplot of a human interest story. As the student orchestra stumbles over the final bars of a Tchaikovsky score only minutes before their performance, a semi-illiterate student from the Bronx muscles his way to a dance audition and is accepted to the school that will forever change his life.

Themes of poverty, mental health, sexuality, family, self-perception and politics were wrestled with. The moral in every episode was that a passion for living our best lives and a deep and authentic love for one another ultimately conquers all. Within the framework of an art school, viewers enjoyed a reveal of the intimate and human struggles we all face.

From this show, I learned that one can be broke and still have class; one’s past does not determine one’s destiny; nothing good comes without hard work; and we should never underestimate the underdog. The show had a great theme song sung by Irene Cara (who also played the role of Coco Hernandez in the original film), and in it, she claims she will live forever and people will remember her name. I dreamed of someday being part of a school completely dedicated to art, surrounded by a creative and colorful cast of characters.

I am regaling you with nostalgia for a TV series that has long since passed because since then, we have collectively experienced hardship, political strife and the pandemic. Through these challenges, we are now able to fully acknowledge the value of arts and culture. We don’t have to defend their merits in comparison to other societal needs, because we know that art, music, theater, dance and education are the saving graces of our sanity, our community and our humanity. Equally as important, our connection to one another relies upon our ability to express our best selves and create a collective vision of the world we want to live in. The arts give us these tools of expression, inspiration and creativity.

Because of state tax cuts, public schools are offering fewer classes in the way of creative pursuits. The Durango Arts Center, along with other nonprofit organizations (Music in the Mountains, iAM MUSIC, Durango Independent Film Festival, the Maker Lab and many more) in our community are providing such services.

The DAC has become a center for visual and performing art education that in the past 12 months has served more than 1,000 students between second and 12th grade, and more than 800 adults who are rediscovering their creative powers. We are now serving more students than the average size district middle school.

If you remember “Fame,” and you’d like to feel goose bumps by walking through our building to see an inspiring class, rehearsal, performance and exhibit in every room, please email me to set up a personal tour. I can’t promise you will live forever, but if you get more involved you will find your passion, and be a part of something important that will last for a very long time.

Buy tickets, donate, become a member and register for classes at DurangoArts.org

Brenda Macon has been executive director of Durango Arts Center since 2018.