The arts have tremendous power to shape the culture and simply criticizing “degenerate” art gets us nowhere. Instead, we need to pay heed to two quotes of debatable origin. “Criticize by creating” is good advice, regardless of whether or not Michelangelo was the one who first said it. Similarly, “Give me the songs of a nation, and it matters not who writes its laws” may or may not originate with Damon of Athens, but rings true regardless here in the nation’s capital. I firmly believe that by fostering redemptive art, regenerate artists can bring about a morally and spiritually revitalized culture.

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