Amid controversy over Yale’s alterations to its venerable art course and other schools’ trying to scrub away anything that smacks of an appreciation for Western culture, it’s worth asking why art is important anyway.

In today’s Martin Center commentary, Michael J. Pearce, founder of the Representational Art Conference, explains why art matters. He writes:

Culture is never frozen; it is an emergent form that arises from the shared experiences and desires of the living and the dead. The flexible and uncertain past is nevertheless the foundation upon which culture is built. The past cannot be duplicated, but if a culture is to maintain its identity, a healthy respect for its traditions is essential.

Pearce worries that conservatives are not fighting hard enough to maintain our artistic traditions.