America the Beautiful

Our feature story this month, by Barbara Lloyd McMichael, is about John de Graaf's latest film that depicts Katharine Lee Bates, who wrote the lyrics for America the Beautiful. Yes, indeed, women are a force for good, and if you believe that, then please pass along this platform. #WomenBelieve. On an entirely different note, Art Gets a Free Ridedemonstrates how the rich use art to get richer. While we’re on the subject of wealth, please see Annie Searle’s Sanitizing Bad News that examines the elements of risk inherent in the structure of large corporations.

Can beauty save the world, as Dostoevsky imagined?  Is it the best bet to do so, As Doug Tompkins wagered?  In an ugly time, is it the truest of protests, as Phil Ochs declared?  I can only say that it has transformed me and that its ability to change cynicism to reverence and to make people happier, healthier and kinder is well-documented.