Lively Arts Series
As we celebrate 24 years of the Lively Arts Series at Montgomery County Community College we place one foot in the past and one foot in the future as we look at America’s cultural legacy. America in Transition looks at the rise of a contemporary, modern aesthetic, one that reflects our roots and our horizons. One of our themes this year is titled The American Dream in Transition: The 50’s. From a cultural perspective the 50’s are perhaps the most underrated decade in American history. It was a period when the best in art, literature, and music collided, and a modern American aesthetic coalesced. Once dominated by Paris, the worlds of visual and performing arts became newly centered in New York in the 1950’s with Jackson Pollock and the Abstract Expressionists painting to the rhythm of jazz, which gained an international audience, and playwrights Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and William Inge were at their height. The 50’s were clearly a decade of great contrast—the “American Dream” was in transition. We will present artists and programs that typify that decade as we also present some of today’s artists for a look into the future, and how they are interpreting our culture now. As always we also reflect a global perspective, bringing you the art and culture of the world … close to home!
