"None of us exists in a vacuum. So before we discuss the state of the arts, culture, and humanities, let’s first consider the world environment we are living in. That’s what musicians are trained to do. This may seem contradictory at first, but musi-cians are trained to be attentive to the biggest possible picture (the whole story, the environment), and at the same time sensi-tive to the smallest detail (the moment), and that’s what I hope to do with you tonight. So on the planetary scale, what do we have? We have recently reached a world population of over seven billion people, speaking over 6,000 languages, spread out in over 200 countries. Globally, we face issues of food security and natural resource scarcity among a host of others. So how are we go-ing to share our planet among so many people with so many competing interests? And what role can the arts, culture, and humanities play in finding solutions to this dilemma? On the domestic side, we are emerging from the Great Recession with significant debt, vast unemployment, and shaky infrastructure. Moreover, two former Secretaries of State, George Shultz and Condoleezza Rice, have declared that the state of our K– 12 education system has now reached crisis proportions. And President Obama has spoken of our inability to “put ourselves in someone else’s shoes” or “look through somebody else’s eyes” as an empathy deficit. The environment looks pretty grim, but I think there are ways each one of us can contribute to a solution. Tonight, I’d like to look at three things. First, what lessons we can tease out from observing nature? Second, what we can learn from studying the human realm? And finally, what can the sciences and the arts teach all of us? I think the answers to these questions will help us develop the tools we need to tackle some of these seemingly intracta-ble problems. And the answers will help me explain why I want to talk to you all about art for life’s sake.: [Excerpt from Transcript, p. 6]

About the lecture:

Nancy Hank served as president of Americans for the Arts (formerly the American Council for the Arts) from 1968 to 1969, when she was appointed chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, a position she served through 1977. During her eight-year tenure at the National Endowment for the Arts, the agency's budget grew 1,400 percent. Until her death 1983, Nancy Hanks worked hard to bring national prominence to the arts. The Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy was established in 1988 to honor the memory of Nancy Hanks and to provide an opportunity for public discourse at the highest levels on the importance of the arts and culture to the nation's well-being.

Transcript of Yo-Yo Ma's lecture, for the 26th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy on April 8. 2013.