Of Mice and Hard Times for Art

Frederick, a picture book by Leo Lionni, has captivated me since my childhood. The story could be told in a few sentences, were it not for the questions. Questions that arise when you, as a young father, pull out the book to read to your child.

Nothing is given away when calling Frederick a socially integrated nonconformist. He manages to endure and practice what some of us have been putting off for years. If there is a plan at all, it might be to pursue creative activity later in life. Some only discover the artistic part of their existence after life's upheavals. In my life, my pronounced musical talent leads a rather restrained existence.

Let us talk about Frederick.

A little mouse that, instead of participating in the ritualized gathering of supplies like his peers, withdraws from materialism.

For Frederick, other things seem to be more important. When criticized for not helping to gather nuts, grains, and other winter provisions, he replies that he is collecting sun rays, colors, and words. Shaking their heads, the other mice turn away. There is hardly any time for lengthy discussions or even arguments before winter arrives.

While other mice think practically and hoard for the winter, Frederick follows a different calling. He collects the intangible: light, colors, stories. What initially appears to be idleness proves to be a saving gift in the darkness of winter. His poetry warms the hearts of the other mice. The memories of the sun rays and colors make the dreary gray of winter momentarily forgotten.

The penultimate sentence of the book documents the enthusiasm. "You are an artist!" the other mice exclaim, and Frederick triumphs modestly by feeling all he has provided to others through his work.

Leo Lionni legitimized dreaming, being different, and the creative power with Frederick.

Now, as times are indeed getting tougher, I predict: Art will have to justify itself again. Just recently, we discussed the book. During a business event. Then questions arise about what would have happened if Frederick had joined the search and gathering. In the story, the mice do run out of supplies. While Frederick manages to alleviate the paralyzing hunger with his poetry, the question remains open whether his contribution would have sustained the mouse family through to spring.

In times of scarcity, art is always under criticism. Except for those exceptional artists who self-finance, society rarely provides generous budgets for artistic creation. Why some artists are exceptions remains rather uncertain. A society may therefore ask what contribution art is capable of making in general, and especially in difficult times.

The chief conductor and artistic director of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Joana Mallwitz, recently noted in the podcast Hotel Matze...

Imagine if all our children sang together every day, and really sang. They would get to know different cultures, learn languages, learn the melody of language. They would learn something about themselves, their self-confidence, their body awareness. […] And yet everyone seems to forget it.