SUPPORT THE ARTS!

-by Andrea Zapanta Scharf

Contrary to what politicians and mainstream media might tell us, the arts are essential; particularly in times like these that are brimming with fear and division. The arts (visual, music, literature, dance, etc) remind us of the complexity and paradoxes of the human condition; the beauty, humor and absurdity, suffering and resilience we all know as part of the collective human experience. They remind us that we cannot be reduced to political abstractions and statistics as is often portrayed in the current media landscape. Seeing an act of creative expression is seeing the essence of someone’s being and reminds us of our own. Support the things that remind us of our shared humanity and expansiveness. Support the arts!

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Andrea Zapanta Scharf is a freelance illustrator and artist from New York City, currently based in Vienna, Austria. Her work is rooted in finding and expressing a playful spirit and radiating joy, beauty and humor through various forms including illustration, animation, mixed-media collage, product/surface design, paper sculpture, and more.