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Monday, June 18, 2007 (SF Chronicle)STANFORD/NEA chairman blasts American culture in commencement talk/Speaker tellsgrads to reject passive consumerismJulian Guthrie, Chronicle Staff Writer The leader of the National Endowment for the Arts decried culture asbankrupt and called for the elevation of artists and intellectuals insociety at Stanford University's commencement address on Sunday. Dana Gioia, a businessman-turned-accomplished poet who now heads the NEA,acknowledged that he was a controversial choice as speaker. "A few students were especially concerned that I lacked celebrity," hesaid from the field of Stanford Stadium, where an estimated 25,000graduating students, faculty members and family members had gathered forthe university's 116th commencement ceremony. "It seemed I wasn't famous enough," added Gioia, the first poet and thefirst Californian selected to head the federal arts agency. "And that isthe subject I want to address, the fact that we live in a culture thatbarely acknowledges and rarely celebrates the arts and artists." On the field, students dressed in caps and gowns -- accessorized witheverything from animal masks and wigs to blow-up dolls and bumblebee wings-- fanned themselves against the heat and waved "Thanks Mom and Dad"signs. Many talked on cell phones to family members in the stands, tookphotos of one another on camera phones, or sent text messages. "Everything now is entertainment," said Gioia (pronounced Joy-a), who isin his second term as head of the $133 million federal endowment, whichfunds art institutions across the country. "American culture has mostlybecome one vast infomercial." Gioia, the first in his family to attend college, earned a bachelor'sdegree and an MBA from Stanford and a master's from Harvard. He worked for15 years at General Foods before dropping out of corporate life to write. He said his exposure to artists, musicians and writers began early --through radio and television. He listened to classical musicians likeJascha Heifetz and Arthur Rubinstein, and jazz greats Duke Ellington andLouis Armstrong. "All of these people were famous to the average American -- because theculture considered them important." Today, he said, culture is about NBA players and "American Idol"finalists. "When virtually all of culture's celebrated figures are in sports orentertainment, how few possible role models we offer the young," Gioiasaid. "Why do these issues matter to you? This is the culture you are about toenter. You now face the choice of whether you want to be a passiveconsumer or an active citizen. Do you want to watch the world on a screenor live in it so meaningfully that you change it?" For members of the graduating class, Gioia's speech was valid -- to anextent. Many students talked of a different type of creativity atStanford, a campus that has long been a breeding ground for research andstartups such as Yahoo. Katherine Brainard will work as a software engineer and intern atMicrosoft this summer. "I think there are much bigger problems in education than a lack of thearts," she said. "I don't think that broader culture has ever been 'highculture' anyway. But if you can't read at a second-grade level and you'regraduating from high school, that is the problem." David Ollison, graduating with a degree in economics, plans to go on tolaw school. He said he is decidedly a "left-brain guy." While trying tokeep a female blow-up doll named Francesca perched on his shoulders, hesaid that his primary interest is making money. Besides, he laughed, "I'm a pop-culture whore." A group of guys dressed in various animal outfits debated the issue ofwhether culture is bankrupt. "You choose your own path in life," mused Zach Henick. "If you want to gointo arts, go into arts. I'm pursuing economics." His friend Jay Rubenstein, wearing camel ears, paused to proclaim,"Society sleeps in a bed of pigs." He added that the quote is his own. "I think culture has to be what you make of it," he said. "For me, myculture is sports." He plans to work in energy trading and has a job linedup at Morgan Stanley. Staci King, who wants to become a doctor, said she always had arts classesin her public schools in Chicago. She plays the jazz guitar and listens togospel and R&B. She said she had dreamed of attending Stanford since shewas in kindergarten. "I still play and will always play the guitar as a pastime," she said,smiling. "But I didn't want to be a starving artist."Online resources www.nea.gov E-mail Julian Guthrie at
jguthrie@sfchronicle.com.----------------------------------------------------------------------Copyright 2007 SF Chronicle
seriously, but seemed to have a good time as well. You can check out what they had to say about the experience on their blogs: Karen D'Souza, Chad Jones, and Chloe Veltman.
seriously, but seemed to have a good time as well. You can check out what they had to say about the experience on their blogs: Karen D'Souza, Chad Jones, and Chloe Veltman.
