New York’s arts world has gone ga-ga over Michelle Obama’s new role as arts ambassador, proving once again that hope springs eternal among them that maybe, just maybe, the President will elevate the arts during his administration (contrary to his first few months in office, which I wrote about here, here and here).
In fact, after I filed my report on her ribbon-cutting visit to the Metropolitan Museum to the
Daily Beast last night and signed off, the editors headlined it “Obama’s New Arts Czar: His Wife.”
“The excitement was palpable,” one person at the Met ceremony told me. Later, at the American Ballet Theater, she wowed the audience again, saying “My husband and I believe strongly that arts education is essential for building innovative thinkers who will be our nation’s leaders for tomorrow. And it is our hope that we can all work together to expose, enrich and empower Americans of all ages through the arts.”
I hope they’re all right, and that Michelle’s arts involvement — and offensive — lasts. As I reported for the Beast, the Met added some nice touches to reinforce any thought the First Lady has on her role: they held her meeting with about 40 New York arts leaders (chosen by the White House) in the gallery named for Hatshepsut, the woman pharoah, and as they guided her through the Temple of Dendur they made sure to say that Jackie Kennedy helped the museum get the edifice. (Here’s a link to my article.)
At the meeting, participants told me, she listened intently, and she asked for their ideas. There’s no official word on Michelle’s role going forward, but she clearly likes her forays into the arts world.