I'm conflicted with theater in the city because you want to reach a diverse audience, and that audience doesn't typically go to the theater.
I'm hoping someday that we'll be able to start a consortium with places like Carnegie Hall to work on early childhood education. I really feel that's the most important place to put the arts.
The function of arts centers goes far beyond being places for performance. They might not be explicitly religious, but they are civic and social spaces.
In an arts programme, my job was to go where the talent was. And the talent was in popular culture.
I've been cheered by the reaction to what I've done with Film Independent at LACMA and the organizational support I've received in pursuing it.
We must carry the arts to the people, not wait for the people to come to the arts.
Queen's University flies the flag for the arts in Northern Ireland and beyond.
I grew up in a nonprofit theater company in the heartland of central California, so I am very aware of the importance that company had not only on my life but my community.
Part of my mission is simply that: to bring the world of the arts, particularly classical music, closer to people so they don't feel that it is something remote that they have to specially prepare themselves for, or dress up for.
I've always argued, unsuccessfully, that there's no point in giving money to the arts unless you educate people in them.
It's wonderful doing concerts in places like New York and London, but I feel a responsibility to also bring my work home, to bring world-class, classical music to Somerset.
Unless we build theater and performing arts, then we're not going to be creating future patrons. We need to make it accessible.
